Re: WG comments, Working Drafts, and Last Call -- clarification please?

On Aug 6, 2009, at 11:30 AM, Dan Connolly wrote:

> On Thu, 2009-08-06 at 12:27 -0500, Shelley Powers wrote:
>
>> Is it true that the Working Group can't comment during Last Call?  
>> That
>> we have to raise issues before then?
>
> Last call is a decision that the WG is done with all the issues
> it knows about. So it's out of order for a WG member to
> be party to a decision that we've addressed all our issues
> and then turn around and send last call comments.

Here's my understanding:

- By Last Call, a Working Group is expected to have resolved all  
serious issues within the Working Group. In practice this doesn't  
always happen.
- There is no general rule against a Working Group member commenting  
on the spec during Last Call.
- It would be out of order for a Working Group member to attempt to  
reopen an issue that has been resolved by actual Working Group  
decision, if they don't have new information to provide. Not because  
it's Last Call, but because WG decisions can only be reopened based on  
new information.
- Last Call is an appropriate time to register Formal Objections, even  
from WG members. Technically, Formal Objections don't even really mean  
anything before LC.
- It is common and accepted for WG members to comment on a spec in the  
course of LC, either because they discover new issues, or because they  
bring up something that may have been discussed, but not resolved by  
Working Group decision.
- The Working Group is obliged to formally address all Last Call  
comments, whether from a WG member or not.


>> If this is true, is Last Call still on schedule for October? Do we
>> know when in October?
>
> We can only go to last call in October if we close issues
> a lot faster than we have been.

That I agree with. Our current rate on closing serious issues(*) is  
approximately zero per year. If you extrapolate this trend, it does  
not project to Last Call happening any time soon. By our charter and  
the process, it is the responsibility of the Chairs to ensure that  
issues do not remain open indefinitely.

Regards,
Maciej


* - By serious I mean people see resolving it as a showstopper, and  
consensus is not found solely through discussion and action of the  
editor.