Re: An HTML language specification

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008, Mark Baker wrote:
> >
> > If you don't think it's a language spec, could you elaborate in detail 
> > on what makes a "language" spec vs whatever the HTML5 spec is? How 
> > does the HTML5 spec differ from CSS2.1 or SVG in terms of what a 
> > language spec is?
> 
> As often happens, Roy says it better than I could;
> 
> http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2007Nov/0430.html

Unfortunately, that doesn't answer either of my questions. Roy just says 
what he wants without saying why, with one exception -- he says that 
language specs shouldn't include the DOM, which first of all would mean 
SVG isn't a language spec either, yet you said SVG was a language spec, 
and secondly misunderstands the way that HTML5 uses the DOM (it's just an 
abstraction like the RDF data model, to allow for multiple serialisations 
of the core language).

Could _you_ elaborate in detail on what makes a "language" spec vs 
whatever the HTML5 spec is? How does the HTML5 spec differ from CSS2.1 or 
SVG in terms of what a language spec is?

If you want us to write a language spec, it behooves you to at least 
define your terms.

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

Received on Friday, 14 November 2008 21:23:53 UTC