Re: [selectors-api] The Naming Debate

2007/6/28, Doug Schepers <doug.schepers@vectoreal.com>:
> Decisions get made all the time without informing the public list.  The
> decision to create this spec in the first place was not a public
> decision.  Most of the wording and functionality of the spec was the
> work of a small group of people.  Only when an issue is raised does the
> debate start.

Ok, thanks so that means it is normal to not inform people about
decisions on the mailing list, right?

> > The issue was voted upon, there was an outcome.
>
> No, there was no vote.  I was in the room, so I think I would know.  The
> names that were chosen by the group were selected by group process of
> elimination, not by voting.

Whoops!
I didn't know that. Sorry, I misunderstood.
I'm still not really too fond with the way this was handled, but I was
under the impression that this was something that was voted upon.
Sorry guys, I owe you, Lachlan and Charles (and probably more people)
an apology...

> As it says in the process document [1], "A group should only conduct a
> vote to resolve a substantive issue after the Chair has determined that
> all available means of reaching consensus through technical discussion
> and compromise have failed, and that a vote is necessary to break a
> deadlock."
>
> The keys there are "substantive" and "compromise".  This is *not* a
> substantive issue; the functionality remains the same.  And the means by
> which the names where chosen was a kind of compromise, as is the process
> going on now.  Several people are not thrilled with the new names, but
> they aren't pressing it further; if you think you can come up with a new
> name that hasn't been considered, and which you think will satisfy the
> most or all of the people involved, by all means submit it.  This spec
> is not even in FPWD (First Public Working Draft) yet, nothing is set in
> stone... but judging from the heat of this debate, I'd say you'd have to
> come up with a pretty compelling set of names.

Well, the only natural name for me is getElementsBySelector and from
what I read on irc from Lachlan, that is not going to happen, so there
is nothing for me to debate, is there?

> > Now, the opposite is being done of what the outcome was.
>
> Actually, that's not true.  The new names are a substantial improvement
> over get() and getAll(), as well as most of the other alternatives.

Hmm, yeah, sort of ;)

> > I can't believe that is normal. How often does that happen within the W3C?
>
> About as often as you might expect in a loosely-run group of enormous
> size and of diverse opinions where everyone contributes.
>
> You win some, you lose some... I'm personally going to save my energy
> for something more important to me.

Like I said before, I misunderstood.
Thanks for your explanation!

Regards,
Martijn


> [1] http://www.w3.org/2005/10/Process-20051014/policies.html#Votes
>
> Regards-
> -Doug
>
>

Received on Thursday, 28 June 2007 05:18:12 UTC