Overall strategy (Was Re: Proposal to Adopt HTML5)

On 10. apr. 2007, at 11.36, Maciej Stachowiak wrote:
> I could give my personal opinion on these points if you are curious  
> but I don't think it is relevant to the question of adopting HTML5.  
> And I certainly would not be speaking for everyone who signed the  
> letter.

On 10. apr. 2007, at 11.39, Dao Gottwald wrote:
> I don't follow your reasoning. Using HTML5 as a /starting point/  
> doesn't mean that any resolution of the WHATWG is set in stone.

OK. I get your point, but there seems to be a common vision here and  
I think it will be useful to get a sense the whole picture. It would  
at least help putting the decision into perspective.

So  what is your *personal* opinion on this then? Do you think this  
seems like a good strategy:

1. We start with HTML5 in its current state.

2. We add all that's necessary to define "exactly how to handle the  
web as it is today" (Hunt). This means all components that are being  
used in current web pages, including, for instance, elements like  
<blink>, <blackface> and <marquee> and all the "undocumented,  
unspecified, frozen set of bugs" (Hickson) that people rely on out  
there.

3. We organize the standard into sets of "recommended", "right"   
components, and sets of forbidden, "wrong" components:

This "effectively means that we discourage people from using the  
elements (it's forbidden, the elements don't event exist as far as  
authors are concerned), but "require" user agents to support them so  
they don't lose market share, render the web and such" (van Kesteren,  
offlist).

4. We then freeze the standard and let evolve in two ways only: (1)  
by bug fixing and (2) by incorporating new components once they are  
actually being used - "we cannot afford to change behavior, nor can  
we afford to remove features from browsers once they are  
used" (Hickson).

This means that if, for instance, Microsoft implements some new  
element in IE and people start using it, it will automatically be  
included in the standard and all the others will have to follow.


--
Henrik

Received on Tuesday, 10 April 2007 10:17:34 UTC