HTML5 and XHTML2 combined (a new approach)

I read the whole topic about HTML5 and XHTML2 integration, and I always
thought that it is silly that the W3C is spending people, time, money,
facilities for a language that the destinataries won't implement.
But I've got an idea: if XHTML2 defines *now* all current features of HTML5,
without HTML5 bloat (and the oppressive control of WhatWG), it will be
easier for HTML WG to adopt this specifications and eventually reform only
one MarkUp Working Group.
How this is to be implemented? Take features from HTML5 and modularize.

The biggest advantage of XHTML1.1/2 is modularization: create the following
modules
- XHTML Web Applications Module (with video - audio - canvas - datalist -
header - footer)
- XHTML Backward Compatibility Module (with b - i - font - etc.)
and in the latter say that conforming author must not use any feature
defined in that module

Then the remaining steps for complete abolishing of HTML5 are firstly a
specification "Another serialization for XHTML" that defines a processing
model (maybe based on real SGML), depending on a XHTML2 + XHTMLWebApps for
content model and adding things like "this element has an implied end tag
when a start tag not allowed in the content model is found", "this element
has an implied end tag when an end tag for an element that is not open is
found", "this element discards mismatched end tag", but allowing other spec
to integrate (like XHTML Mod1.1, that defines the Modularization framework
and the base modules for XHTML1.1)
This way we can allow modularization and extensiblity (since content model
and start/end tag handling are not defined in the same specification),
although we may need to get DTDs back.

All the rest of HTML5 (DOM3 HTML - Scripting Execution Contexts - Persistent
Storage API - Advanced Network Communications API) are in scope of
WebApplications WG, and many people inside and outside the HTML WG would
rather have them separated.

In conclusion, the only way to get XHTML widely deployed and implemented
(and thus to reach PR) is to get rid of HTML5. Start working immediately at
the XHTML WebApps module, before it's too late.

Giovanni

Received on Wednesday, 21 January 2009 20:31:00 UTC