[Bug 27799] New: Lang attribute of spec itself should remove -x-hixie private use sub-category

https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=27799

            Bug ID: 27799
           Summary: Lang attribute of spec itself should remove -x-hixie
                    private use sub-category
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Hardware: All
                OS: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: HTML5 spec
          Assignee: dave.null@w3.org
          Reporter: roselli@algonquinstudios.com
        QA Contact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: mike@w3.org, public-html-admin@w3.org,
                    public-html-wg-issue-tracking@w3.org

The <html> tag of the page at http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/ (and its related
pages/URLs) has the following @lang: en-US-x-Hixie

-x-Hixie is a private-use sub-tag (-x denotes the start of a private-use
sub-tag).

W3C states [1] that:

Private-use subtags do not appear in the subtag registry, and are chosen and
maintained by private agreement amongst parties.

Because these subtags are only meaningful within private agreements and cannot
be used interoperably across the Web, they should be used with great care, and
avoided whenever possible.

Further, IETF BCP 47 Section 2.2.7 [2] states:

   5.  No source is defined for private use subtags.  Use of private use
       subtags is by private agreement only.

   6.  Private use subtags are NOT RECOMMENDED where alternatives exist
       or for general interchange.  See Section 4.6 for more information
       on private use subtag choice.

Given that the HTML spec is public and -x-Hixie seems to be more about vanity
than having some functional value, I recommend removing the sub-tag altogether
and leaving the @lang as en-us.


1.
http://www.w3.org/International/articles/language-tags/Overview.en.php#extension
2. http://tools.ietf.org/html/bcp47#section-2.2.7

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Received on Sunday, 11 January 2015 23:04:53 UTC