Re: Proposal to Adopt HTML5

On 10 Apr 2007, at 03:38, Maciej Stachowiak wrote:

>
> Dear HTML Working Group,
>
> HTML5, comprising the Web Apps 1.0 and Web Forms 2.0  
> specifications, is the product of many years of collaborative  
> effort. It specifies existing HTML4 markup and APIs with much  
> clearer conformance criteria for both implementations and  
> documents. It specifies many useful additions, in many cases  
> drawing on features that have existed in browser-based  
> implementations for a long time. And it actively draws on feedback  
> from implementors and content authors. Therefore, we the  
> undersigned propose the following:
>
> - that the W3C HTML Working Group adops the WHAT Working Group's  
> HTML5 as the starting point for further HTML development
> - that the W3C's next-generation HTML specification is officially  
> named "HTML 5"
> - that Ian Hickson is named as editor for the W3C's HTML 5  
> specification, to preserve continuity with the existing WHATWG effort
>
> If HTML5 is adopted as a starting point, the contents of the  
> document would still be up for review and revision, but we would  
> start with the existing text. A suitable next step might be a high- 
> level review of functionality added and removed relative to  
> HTML4.01, followed by focused discussion and review of individual  
> topic areas, including both content already in the spec and  
> proposed new features. Discussions should be guided by common  
> principles along the lines of <http://esw.w3.org/topic/HTML/ 
> ProposedDesignPrinciples>
>
> If the group is agreeable to these proposals, Apple, Mozilla and  
> Opera will agree to arrange a non-exclusive copyright assignment to  
> the W3 Consortium for HTML5 specifications.
>
>
> L. David Baron, Mozilla Foundation
> Lars Erik Bolstad, Opera Software ASA
> Brendan Eich, Mozilla Foundation
> Dave Hyatt, Apple Inc.
> Håkon Wium Lie, Opera Software ASA
> Maciej Stachowiak, Apple Inc.
>


Nobody has yet put forward any plausible alternative, and it would be  
insane to throw away years of work, which has people already working  
to implement it. It would equally be silly to have anyone apart from  
Ian as editor for the specification, as anyone else would have to  
learn how things in the specification are arranged.


- Geoffrey Sneddon

Received on Tuesday, 10 April 2007 09:43:42 UTC