New HTML/XML Task Force Report

Hello world,

For those playing along at home: several months ago we asked the TAG
to publish our document (a Task Force has no official standing to
publish a document in any official capacity). The TAG noted a few
deficiencies in the document and made some suggestions. I attempted to
incorporate those. Time passed.

Last week I met with the TAG again, and again I asked them to publish
our document. Again they had comments, but we agreed to the compromise
that our document would be published with whatever editorial comments
the editor felt prepared to make, leaving substantive comments for a
subsequent draft. (I expect that we will get some public comments once
the draft is published in some official capacity.)

I have incorporated those editorial changes that I felt would be
uncontroversial:

  http://www.w3.org/2010/html-xml/snapshot/report-2012-01-12.html

If no one calls foul in the next few days, this draft will be
published by the TAG as a WG Note (with whatever Statement of this
Document the TAG deems appropriate).

I draw your attention specifically to a few points:

1. The TAG would like more references: pointers to relevant work,
areas where an interested reader could get more information about the
topics discussed. I don't feel like I've been able to address this
request adequately. If you are aware of documents that would fullfill
that need, please send them to me.

2. The TAG suggested that we add a Contributors appendix. I think
that's kind of tricky, given that anything short of simply listing
every single contributor to the public list admits the possibility
that someone will be overlooked. I went back through the bulk of the
early minutes and constructed an initial list: if I've left you off
the list, please accept my apologies and understand that it was simply
an oversight. Please let me know. Alternatively, if you'd prefer not
to be specifically acknowledged, please let me know that as well.

3. The principle substantive comments from the TAG (which I assume
will be refleced in the minutes when they're made public) were about
polyglot markup. I think some good points were made about the
applicability of polyglot in closed environments where documents are
being produced for publication but also for other (internal) uses. In
particular, it was observed that polyglot documents could be
transmitted with EXI or signed digitally with XML Signature. The
ability to publish exactly the same documents on the web as can be
used with those technologies is, in my opinion, worth calling out.

But I know this is an area where there are strongly held opinions on
both sides and so I have *not* attempted to incorporate those changes
into this draft. With my chair's hat on, my primary goal is to get the
document published!

At some point after publication, I'll propose substantive (but
hopefully not objectionable) changes in this area for the Task Force
to review and consider for a subsequent publication.

4. Participation in the Task Force is entirely voluntary, of course,
and I can't make commitments on your behalf. I have agreed that I will
continue as chair and editor through at least one publish
publicly/receive comments/revise/republish cycle. I hope that you're
willing and able to continue to participate as well.

                                        Thank you,
                                          norm

-- 
Norman Walsh
Lead Engineer
MarkLogic Corporation
Phone: +1 413 624 6676
www.marklogic.com