thanks and tweaks Re: request for input on organizing (ARIA, HTML)-to-API work

On 28 Nov 2008, at 12:01 AM, Al Gilman wrote:

>
> If you are involved as a producer or consumer of these APIs, or for  
> some
> other reason have a strong interest in or dependency on this work,  
> please
> visit and answer the information-gathering poll at
>
> http://www.w3.org/2002/09/wbs/32212/axs-API-impl-Org/

Thanks to those that responded to the survey.

http://www.w3.org/2002/09/wbs/32212/axs-API-impl-Org/results

Reviewing the results, re-ordered in order of decreasing level of  
agreement:

** Organizational assumptions

Unless we receive feedback to the contrary, organizing will go  
forward on the following assumptions.
* The WAI-ARIA Implementation Guidelines must be developed by people  
bound by the W3C Patent Policy.
* A Task Force should be organized to facilitate the development of  
the WAI-ARIA Implementation Guidelines.
This may be a PFWG task force or a joint PFWG/HTML_WG task force  
(indicate your preference on a later question).

[results] These propositions received unanimous support.

** Separate, communicating teams or one joint team

The WAI-ARIA and HTML work could be done by separate but cooperating  
teams,
or we could form a joint task force to develop deliverables for both  
groups.

[results] Forming one joint team was preferred by most (all except  
one 'no' and one not answering).

** Distinct deliverables

Let's talk in terms of four distinct deliverables:
[aria-impl] WAI-ARIA implementation guidelines, including whatever  
they say about either binding all the way to accessibility APIs or  
some neutral abstraction.
.. published under PFWG Charter. Separate from ARIA spec, rendezvous  
in CR.
[html5-api] guidelines or spec rules for mapping HTML5 features to  
accessibility APIs.
.. published under HTML WG Charter.
.. may be subsumed into one or another of the HTML5 deliverables as  
they see fit.
[aria-ts] the tests that are used to get WAI-ARIA through CR.
.. published under PFWG Charter.
[html5-ts] the tests that are used to get HTML5 through CR.
.. published under HTML WG Charter.

[results] Four respondents favored this list, five demurred for one  
reason or another.

Those responding "need to understand the problem first" were among  
those not affiliated
with the more mature implementations.  The separation between ARIA  
and HTML deliverables
is explained below.  The separation into specifications and test  
suites is to fit the
work into the W3C Process.  But there is more room for flexibility  
than was obvious.

There was also a concern that the Task Force could be over-burdened  
if tasked with
the test suites on top of the implementation guidelines.

It seems that we need to re-phrase the assumptions a bit to make it  
more clear what
is firm and what is flexible.

Proposed resolution - new suggested premises:

[publication by Working Groups]  Documents about WAI-ARIA will be  
published by PFWG;
documents about HTML5 by HTML WG, etc.  (Joint Task Force, separate  
deliverables)
[dependencies only one way] HTML5 documents may have normative  
dependencies
on WAI-ARIA documents, but not the reverse.

Rationale:  Because of the urgency of addressing access to rich web  
applications, and
because there is a significant pool of regulation-sensitive  
implementation that needs
authoritative references, WAI-ARIA needs to move smartly through the  
W3C process in a way
that HTML5 doesn't really need so much.

[MUST do implementation guidance, MAY do test materials]  The task  
force will be chartered to produce
implementation guidance dealing with how access information from the  
formats is
communicated to AT.  It might get involved in test suite development  
to a degree which
can be adjusted as the work progresses.

Those of you who would consider working on this, please consider if  
you can live with
this proposed resolution.

Al

Received on Monday, 15 December 2008 16:09:19 UTC