Re: [csswg-drafts] Let’s Define CSS 4 (#4770)

Wow, there is a lot of interest for this idea. Great to see. I can't go over all contributions that have been made so far, but would like to make a few points from my perspective.

When I started thinking about CSS4 I didn't see it as something that should be rigidly defined. In fact, I'm arguing for a fairly vague and hand-wavy approach, where we mostly leave it to individual developers to figure out what they would like "CSS4" to mean. That makes it much easier to raise excitement, I think, than going through a list of modules, some of which you don't need.

I'm not sold on the CSS2020, CSS20201 etc. idea, mostly because it conveys a sort of nervousness that I'd like to avoid. A new version every three years or so sounds about right to me. But maybe that's just me getting old.

Also, I hadn't considered the CSS WG taking the lead on this (though in hindsight I should have). The problem has already been described: if the WG takes the lead, that pretty much requires some sort of definition, which leads to a lot of work on the part of the WG.

My original idea was to take a few modules and make them the spearhead for CSS4 (see below for suggestions). After that, we might elevate any new specification to CSS4, and if enough developers are enthusiastic about a certain module or feature, we could retroactively elevate them to CSS4 level as well.

Yes, this is a vague process, but I'm not sold on the need to have a better-defined process. I would fully understand if the CSS WG wants to keep CSS4 at a distance for that reason and leave it to developers to decide what CSS4 actually is, though the WG should be sold on the basic concept and agree that CSS4 is a Thing.

To me the purpose of CSS4 is to reach out to people that are currently outside the hard-core CSS world; JavaScript developers in particular. That's why I feel that the first modules or features that get the CSS4 stamp of approval should be picked carefully to appeal to them.

In my [latest piece](https://www.quirksmode.org/blog/archives/2020/02/what_is_css4.html)  I argue for custom properties to take on that role, both because they are already somewhat known (hey! CSS4 isn't hard! You already know some of it!) and because they will appeal to JS devs.

Also, I think grid should be part of CSS4, mostly because it's the most important step forward in CSS in many years, and also because it's already somewhat known.

We should also have a few features that are on the horizon but not quite here yet, and I'm especially thinking of container queries. I'm not up to speed with the current discussion around container queries, so I'm going to leave it at saying that for a marketing/outreach effort aimed at JavaScripters they make a lot of sense.

That's where I stand right now.

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Received on Thursday, 13 February 2020 17:15:47 UTC