Re: Proposal to Adopt HTML5

Ian Hickson wrote:
> On Wed, 11 Apr 2007, Sylvain Eliade wrote:
>   
>> 3. If we adopt HTML5 and the final draft is completely different from 
>> the original WHATWG draft, what the WHATWG will do ?
>>     
>
> If the HTML WG adopts the draft and me as editor, then the specs would 
> evolve in lockstep, literally generated from the same source document.
>   

This sounds sensible.  However, what would happen if the HTML WG were to 
change portions significantly from the WHATWG spec and the WHATWG did 
not agree?  How can you have the two specs generated from the same 
document if there is significant (hypothetical) disagreement?

Also, if there are two working groups working on one spec, then the 
separation of them causes a huge artificial communications barrier.  I 
am aware that there are lots of reasons why some WHATWG members 
can't/won't join the HTML WG and vice versa, but this particular 
situation seems very silly.  If we're going to adopt the WHATWG spec and 
then discuss & amend it, I should imagine there will be valuable 
feedback to be had from those involved with the original WHATWG spec, 
some of whom may not be members of this WG.  It would be a shame to lose 
this feedback.

Anyway, I agree with the idea of working from the WHATWG spec in 
principle.  I think a lot of us will need to make ourselves more 
familiar with it though!

Bruce Boughton