Re: <ruby>, etc. in HTML5

On Tue, 27 May 2008, Robert J Burns wrote:
>
> Perhaps this goes more to the heart of what I'm saying. This draft is 
> not reflective of this WG.

Nor is it supposed to be. At least, it has never been my intent to edit 
the draft merely to reflect majority opinion. It is my intent to write the 
spec in such a way that it addresses the needs of the Web user and Web 
authoring community at large in the best way possible. I edit the spec by 
taking all arguments, researched data, use cases, requirements, etc, into 
account, and by deriving the best possible design from that (at least to 
the best of my abilities). I emphatically do _not_ take into account the 
number of people who have a particular opinion.

(Note by the way that the "best possible design" is sometimes even 
something that _I_ disagree with. For example, the spec allows xmlns="" 
attributes and /> syntax sugar in certain places, because the arguments in 
favour of those were stronger than the arguments against. However, 
personally I think both of those things are stupid, and I wish that I 
could find strong enough arguments to remove them.)


> Why would we publish another version when it still has not changed in a 
> way to reflect the opinions of this WG?

IMHO it is better that the spec be the best it could be for the good of 
the Web community than that it reflect the opinions of this working group.


> > > Developers are anxious to begin experimental implementation of HTML5 
> > > features
> > 
> > Assuming you mean Web browser implementors, I am in contact with most 
> > major developers and have been coordinating with their desires for 
> > what to implement. If you or anyone knows of any browser vendors who 
> > are not in direct contact with me, please have them contact me 
> > directly so that I can help them. I have tried to be very responsive 
> > to implementor requests.
> 
> Yes I mean web browser implementors/developers. However, Ian, you are no 
> coordinating with the browser implementors as you say. You coordinate 
> only with those you know, or those you're friends with (or who knows 
> what criterion). The others you ignore.

Yes, I coordinate only with people that I know exist. Please, please, if 
there is anyone else I should be coordinating with, please get them to 
contact me! I am happy to do that confidentially if necessary. I am 
certainly not ignoring anyone: you can't ignore someone you don't hear.

I have been soliciting input from browser vendors since the project 
started in 2004; to say that I ignore implementors is frankly insulting.

-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'

Received on Wednesday, 28 May 2008 00:39:52 UTC