Re: some thoughts on objections to publishing ""HTML 5 differences from HTML 4"

Dan Connolly wrote:

> First, a "No, disagree" response says
>
>> "Rationale based on design principles, for each and every
>> dropped/added/changed element and attribute should be supplied."
>
> Well, perhaps it should.

Maciej Stachowiak wrote:

>> Publishing the differences document before coming to consensus on the
>> design principles is backward.
>>
>> No agreed upon principles, at best result in decisions (e.g.
>> dropping/adding/changing elements and attributes) without foundation.

> I think you may be misunderstanding the goals of the differences
> document. This document is not a set of decisions. It's just a
> factual description of how the current HTML5 draft differs from HTML
> 4.01. It does not require any kind of design principles to record
> this factual information.

Okay. Then it should state something like,

"This document is a draft, It is not a set of decisions. It is not
based on agreed upon principles. All rationale for proposed
differences is pending and will be forthcoming. This document is
merely a start of group discussion going forward. It does not
constitute endorsement of the differences specified, nor does it
indicate that the Working Group feels that the document in its present
state should be incorporated into HTML 5 as a W3C Recommendation or
even a W3C Working Draft."

>> At worst it results in arbitrary, inconsistent, unjust, partial,
>> wrong-headed, and discriminating decisions.

> I think for this reason we'll want the design principles document to
> make further progress on HTML5 itself.

Agreed.

Best Regards,
Laura

Received on Tuesday, 3 July 2007 12:00:45 UTC