Re: Table summary attribute detection using the rotor

On Wed, Jan 18, 2012 at 10:02 AM, Devarshi Pant <devarshipant@gmail.com> wrote:
> Is it too late to reinstate the summary attribute?

Formally speaking, it's never too late to make it conforming HTML.

> Is not the summary simpler to implement than the suggested alternatives?

Depends what problem you're trying to solve.

> Whatever happened to the 'pave the cowpaths' motto …

Note that the HTML design principles of which "pave the cowpaths" was
a part were never ratified by the Working Group. Anyhow, sometimes
cows choose their own paths rather than the roads envisaged by spec
writers long ago. This motto implies making common practices easier,
not perpetuating features that are either uncommonly used or widely
misused (both allegations levelled against @summary).

You can read the rationale for the Working Group's decision here:

   http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2011Apr/0091.html

--
Benjamin Hawkes-Lewis