- From: Laura Carlson <laura.lee.carlson@gmail.com>
- Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:03:34 -0500
- To: Manu Sporny <msporny@digitalbazaar.com>
- Cc: HTML WG <public-html@w3.org>
Hi Manu, You wrote [1] > We cannot, however, willfully break other specifications without there > being blowback. For example, here's what I'm asserting happened with > @summary: > > 1. Gather some data and report the @summary issue to WAI/PFWG. > 2. WAI/PFWG does not respond satisfactorily, for whatever reason. > 3. Break the WAI/PFWG guidance by authoring normative language into > the HTML5 spec. > 4. Disaster. It pretty much started out as a disaster. HTML 4 accessibility features were not in HTML 5 from the start. It was a communication failure from the beginning. Upon reading the spec in May 2007, Roger asked this working group for rationale for removing the summary and headers attributes from tables: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2007May/thread.html#msg12 That was argued over in this working group ever since then. http://esw.w3.org/topic/HTML/SummaryForTABLE#head-6fcfaa26f41088d2cf13b4dd3247225a49ee7be1 NOTHING was reported to PF until June 26, 2008, when Josh, Gregory, Steve, and I brought the fact that HTML 5 had no summary attribute to PF's attention and asked for advice. http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/wai-xtech/2008Jun/0073.html August 6, 2008, PFWG responded: http://esw.w3.org/topic/HTML/SummaryForTABLE#head-e03521f881646cd5a9dca949aa21e070421918ca May 4, 2009, I asked again for PF advice: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2009May/0033.html June 3, 2009, PF Response http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-archive/2009Jun/0026.html Further history and details are in the Wiki: http://esw.w3.org/topic/HTML/SummaryForTABLE > Here's what I'm asserting should have happened with @summary: > > 1. Gather some data and report the @summary issue to WAI/PFWG. > 2. WAI/PFWG does not respond satisfactorily, for whatever reason. > 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until WAI/PFWG responds satisfactorily, OR > 4. Propose alternatives that could replace @summary that meet > WAI/PFWG's requirements. Author preliminary language into the HTML5 > specification and note that the solution does not enjoy consensus > and is controversial. This sounds similar the Collaboration Framework in the Accessibility procedure proposal.[2] The procedure also has a task force as a component in the Collaboration Tools section. So I am pleased to see the new task force proposal. Best Regards, Laura [1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2009Aug/0553.html [2] http://esw.w3.org/topic/HTML/AccessibilityIssueProcedure -- Laura L. Carlson
Received on Thursday, 13 August 2009 09:04:10 UTC