RE: Let's publish a new WD of Language Techniques

- Most important comments are about strengthening & re-inforcing the distinctions between content of language primary vs text-processing - just some extra bulleting required I think.
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- Apologies for the delay in feedback on this document; also that comments on first half (though I think this is the most difficult & important part). Partly too much work because I'll be out of the office for some time due to Technical Plenary.
- Think the document is looking very useful to web developers. In fact have been distracted in reviewing this information in running it past my fellow developers, which does serve as a gauge in how well I can convey it & how effective it is.
- Also, a tangent about I18N voice processors & I18N RSS readers, which relates to liaison with other W3C WGs (pertinent given forthcoming TP & opportunities for F2F, but maybe should have been a separate email; pertinent for my organisation's business requirements).
 
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1.3 Outline document
An outline document is available that summarizes all the recommendations of this and its companion documents together. The outline is organized according to tasks that a developer of XHTML/HTML content may want to perform. When this material is used as a reference, it is recommended that the overview document is used as a starting point.
Suggestion: "this techniques material" to make it clear you are talking about the techniques document, rather than the outline.

1.5 User agent support
"Summaries for such techniques will also be worded more cautiously. For example, "Consider doing X"."
I thought we'd agreed that 'consider' was not practical enough & that we would use other language; if so, that should be reflected here.

2 Why specify language?
"There are existing applications that require language information, such as for voice browsers in the accessibility world."
- What do we know about voice browsing in languages other than English? Do the WAI WG have any info?
- On a related issue, what is known about RSS readers working with different languages? Cf, http://groups.blogdigger.com/BBCWorldService (where RTL languages such as Arabic, Persian, displayed LTR), text directionality in RSS discussion thread XML Literals & Language thread on W3C I18N IG list. 
- Re the above, can we meet/find out at F2F?

3 Important concepts
Under each, ie, primary, text-processing, we should bullet the mechanisms.

4 Mechanisms for declaring language in HTML
Big improvement. But I would like a summary after this para, which just lists HTTP header, meta content-language, etc, with Language of Content type, ie, primary language or text-processing language in brackets afterwards. I don't think we can emphasise these distinctions too much.
"There are a number of places defined by the HTML and XHTML specifications where language can be declared. In this section we will simply show examples of the alternatives available. The rest of this document will discuss in detail which you should use, and when."
"One method is to use the lang and xml:lang attributes on an element. To set the language of a whole document, you can use this attribute on the html tag."
Suggestion: "To set the (text-processing) language of a whole document...." My view is we need to keep re-inforcing.
Where we show HTTP header, could we point to means of viewing HTTP header, eg, web site, Firefox extension?
 

 

 -----Original Message----- 
 From: public-i18n-geo-request@w3.org on behalf of Richard Ishida 
 Sent: Fri 2/18/2005 14:43 
 To: GEO 
 Cc: 
 Subject: Let's publish a new WD of Language Techniques
 
 


 Chaps, 

 I've been working away at implementing changes to http://www.w3.org/International/geo/html-tech/tech-lang.html based on the discussions we had.

 I have a little more to do, and then I think we should publish a new Working Draft (ie. not the final WG Note, just an interim (but much improved) version that the public are more likely to see).

 *** 
 I'd like us to take a decision to go ahead with the publication at next Wednesday's telecon. 
 *** 

 If you have any objections, please send by email before the meeting so we can discuss. (Bear in mind that this is not intended to be perfect - just a snapshot.)

 In the meantime, I'll make a few more adjustments related to pros and cons. 

 Cheers, 
 RI 


 ============ 
 Richard Ishida 
 W3C 

 contact info: 
 http://www.w3.org/People/Ishida/ 

 W3C Internationalization: 
 http://www.w3.org/International/ 

 Publication blog: 
 http://people.w3.org/rishida/blog/ 
   



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Received on Wednesday, 23 February 2005 16:14:22 UTC