Bug: Validator allows pseudo-elements on invalid places

I believe I have found a problem with the CSS
validator at http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/ which
I believe is related to the problem discussed in a
message dated Tue, 05 Nov 2002 03:32:51 +0100 with
Message-ID:
<3de02d3b.90469037@smtp.bjoern.hoehrmann.de>

The problem is when I submit this CSS ...
a:visited.external { color: purple; }
a:link.external    { color: green;  }

the validator does not complain.  Like the other
message, I find that the pretty-printer silently
rearranges it to
a.external:visited { color: purple; }
a.external:link    { color: green;  }

The impact that it has is that the first version above
will not work in Netscape 4.51 (and most probably
others).

It is not desirable, because web authors will submit a
CSS file for validation, see that no complaints are
produced, pay no attention to the pretty printing, and
assume that means they can deploy their CSS file.

I confess that I haven't read the specs, but I can
confirm the second version above works with Netscape
4.51

Nick Bishop.
Private email replies ignored.
-----
"A program that has not been specified cannot be
incorrect, it can only be surprising"
  -- Secure Internet Programming group, Princeton
University, 1996.
-oOo-


Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies.
http://au.movies.yahoo.com