Re: My opinions about the future of EPUB 3.2

Folks,

I will not repeat my argument against dropping non-
interoperable features.  Here I would like to explain
my opinions about fundamental problems that cause
interoperability problems to EPUB 2.X and 3.X.

EPUB has deviated from the OWP.  EPUB has its
own features (such as the spine element) that affect
rendering and user interactions.  Unless we drop
all such features and enhance the OWP instead,
interoperability of OWP will NOT guarantee
interoperability of EPUB.

So I conjecture that EPUB 3.X will not provide
interoperability no matter what we do.   Certainly,
this is unfortunate.  Creating profiles of EPUB
might work, though.  (In Japan, it worked.)

Regards,
Makoto

2018年10月24日(水) 18:22 Laurent Le Meur <laurent.lemeur@edrlab.org>:

> Hi,
>
> To use the new WG motto: what is the problem we're trying to solve?
>
> I see two problems to solve here:
> 1/ raise the level of interoperability of EPUB 3 reading systems
> 2/ get EPUB 3.2 standardized by ISO, in order to get Asian adhesion to
> this version of the standard.
>
> Getting EPUB 3.2 standardized by the W3C is therefore not a solution to
> the problems; the fact is that resolving the first problem is required to
> get EPUB 3.2 as a rec, and getting EPUB 3.2 as a rec is a possible step in
> the resolution of the second one.
>
> Therefore I propose to first tackle the first problem, the *interoperability
> issue*.
>
> For this purpose we need IMO to
> a/ define what interoperability really means in our case; this is not so
> obvious, as there is a large diversity of reading systems (especially those
> based on browser engines, those with custom rendering engines, those with
> no visual engine (audio or braille UAs); we may have to defines different
> classes of reading systems and different interoperability levels.
> b/ list every feature defined in EPUB 3.2, with their testing
> requirements. Be careful about what we want to test: do we (still) want to
> replicate the html/css "can I use"? for custom rendering engines, which
> implement a subset of CSS (and maybe HTML5), this could be necessary ...
> c/ modify the existing (create a new) EPUB test suite, a set of EPUB
> samples which will help testing each features individually
> d/ update the epubtest.org service to handle the new test suite.
>
> The Publishing CG seems to me the proper place for this work, as it has
> released EPUB 3.2 (and therefore is now free), can get help from everybody
> in the industry (BISG ...), and it does not require rechartering the WG.
>
> It would be of tremendous help for the industry to get it done.
>
> In parallel, we should try to assert the difficulty to get EPUB 3.2
> directly prepared for ISO standarization (in men/hours).
>
> Then and only then, after the main reading systems on the market have been
> tested against the new test suite, we will be able to assert the difficulty
> to get EPUB 3.2 standardized by the W3C (in men/hours), i.e. if there are
> two conforming implementations for each feature of the standard. This work
> can be made by the WG.
>
> With this data, we'll be able to decide if direct ISO standarization is
> harder or simpler than W3C rec + W3C to ISO standardization.
>
> During this period, the WG will be able to focus on an urgency for the
> industry: "WP and EPUB for audiobooks", which could even be released in
> 2019 maybe (because the spec is simpler that "WP and EPUB for any type of
> ebook"). And we may find the time to start working on "WP and EPUB for
> comicbooks" also. Without rechartering...
>
> Cordialement,
>
> Laurent Le Meur
> EDRLab
>
>
> Le 24 oct. 2018 à 02:11, MURATA Makoto <eb2m-mrt@asahi-net.or.jp> a écrit
> :
>
> Folks,
>
> I read the draft minutes of the joint F2F of the publishing working group
> and the publishing business group with interest.  (Ivan, special thanks
> to your timely draft minutes! )  Here are my opinions about the future of
> 3.2.
> ...
>
>
>

-- 

Praying for the victims of the Japan Tohoku earthquake

Makoto