On Reunification of Tidy via HTACG

Cross-posted to
 [1]: https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-htacg/
 [2]: https://sourceforge.net/p/tidy/mailman/tidy-develop
 [3]: https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/html-tidy/


Good day,

I'm writing again to encourage the Tidy community to offer public feedback
on the proposal to reunite Tidy under one roof via HTACG.

It's apparent that there's a lot of confusion over what HTACG is or isn't,
and that's what I hope to address in this note.

HTACG is currently maintaining the "W3C" fork of HTML Tidy at github.
Although this branch was forked from the SourceForge project by a member of
the W3C, and hosted at github under the W3C's official repository, it's no
longer a "W3C" fork but now the "HTACG" fork. Our goal is to eliminate that
label, too, and simply be "Tidy."

For readers of this list who have expressed doubts that W3C will or will
not continue to maintain Tidy, you are right. W3C no longer maintains Tidy
of any sort. It is now completely out of their hands and the effort to
maintain its fork rests in the hands of HTACG.

## What is HTACG?

HTACG is a W3C [community group][1]. This means that HTACG -- although
affiliated with the W3C -- is _not_ sponsored by or directed by the W3C.
It's sponsored, directed, and operated by members of HTACG.

## Who are members?

Members constitute anyone at all that want to join. The only qualification
is that you sign up for an account on W3C's servers. While participation in
mailing lists and at github are open for anyone without a W3C account, I
encourage you to join HTACG officially via [its site][1].

## Why HTACG?

As HTACG we -- meaning me, you, the current SourceForge maintainers --
become a single entity responsible for maintaining Tidy. It doesn't matter
if the W3C changes priorities. It doesn't matter if life interferes with a
single maintainer's ability to support the project. People are free to come
and go in HTACG. With a vibrant community it doesn't matter if there's 100%
turnover in a year; the organization will continue to exist and do with
Tidy as the members see fit.

For a community to exist, though, there have to be the seeds of a
community. Tidy's community has withered. The current maintainers have
different priorities, and this has nearly led to the demise of Tidy and the
Tidy community. HTACG will be a shot in the arm for Tidy. Tidy will be like
a phoenix rising from its ashes. Choose your own favorite metaphor in your
own language.

## Takeover

The HTACG proposal is not a declaration of war, and HTACG isn't requesting
that SourceForge supporters and the current maintainers "give" Tidy to
HTACG. Rather HTACG is giving itself to Tidy. Join us, take us over, run
and direct us, but give Tidy the chance to involve the community once again.

If there are differences in philosophy, standards, expectations, then don't
object to this merging; let's work the differences out, and then release a
single Tidy from a single community.



References:
  [1]: http://www.w3.org/community/htacg/

--
---
Jim Derry
Clinton Township, MI, USA
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China PRC