Re: Support Existing Content

     http://esw.w3.org/topic/HTML/ProposedDesignPrinciples


A few days ago I speculated on IRC that the text, as written, 
exposes a “browser” point of view that many seem to find 
objectionable. I wonder if the different prose point of view, of 
essentially the same text, illustrated below would address some 
of those concerns.

Original: [[[
     Browsers implementing the new version of HTML should still 
be able to
     handle existing content. Ideally, it should be possible to 
process web
     documents and applications via an HTML5 implementation even 
if they
     were authored against older implementations and do not specifically
     request HTML5 processing.
]]]

Modified: [[[
     The specification of [HTML5] should not make it impossible, or
     inordinately difficult, for User Agents implementing 
[HTML5] to
     continue supporting existing content. Ideally, web 
documents and
     applications authored against older implementations, and 
which do
     not specifically request HTML5 processing, should be 
possible to
     process in an HTML5 implementation.
]]]

As best I can tell this rephrasing says the exact same thing 
only phrased from the point of view of a document author rather 
then that of a browser implementor (and I'm certain there are 
further improvements possible in that regard).

Note that this is not necessarily a suggestion that the current 
text be changed — but do, of course, feel free to use it as 
such if that would be helpful — but rather an experiment to 
see whether at least some of the objections can be resolved by 
less dramatic means. Testing a hypothesis if you would. :-)



-- 
   “You gonna take advice from somebody who slapped DEE 
BARNES?!” -- eminem

Received on Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:54:14 UTC