[Bug 12631] Note the disadvantage of using only h1 + section

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=12631

--- Comment #2 from Peter Winnberg <peter.winnberg@gmail.com> 2011-05-08 15:24:51 UTC ---
(In reply to comment #1)
> You mean a warning that new features may not work in old browsers? Isn't that
> obvious?

I thought that I explained the issue clearly but I guess not. The problem here
is not the section element that is a new feature in HTML5, older browser will
just ignore if they cannot handle it and that’s fine. The problem is how the
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, and h6 elements are used and none of these are new in
HTML5. Let’s take an example:

<section>
<h1>Heading A</h1>
<section>
<h1>Heading B</h1>
</section>
</section>

In a browser that understands HTML5 this is the same thing as:

<section>
<h1>Heading A</h1>
<section>
<h2>Heading B</h2>
</section>
</section>

And the first example, that just uses h1 and section, could be easier to
maintain because sections could be moved around without changing which level
the heading has just like the spec says. 

The problem is that if an older browser is used the fact that Heading B is a
subheading of Heading A is lost because they are both h1 elements. The second
example, on the other hand, does not have this problem.

So the first example is just a "lazy" way of writing what’s in the second
example that provides advantages (maintainability) for the author of the
document. But only has disadvantages for a user of the document (less
compatibility with older browsers) so that’s why I think that the specification
needs to be changed.

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Received on Sunday, 8 May 2011 15:24:53 UTC