Re: Change back the semantics of <cite>

Bruce Lawson writes:

> On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:48:53 +0100, Dan Connolly <connolly@w3.org> wrote:
> 
> > On Thu, 2009-09-10 at 20:34 +0200, Leif Halvard Silli wrote:
> > 
> > > In the draft, the semantics of <cite> has been altered to not
> > > cover what it covered in HTML 4.
> > >
> > > HTML 4:  "CITE: Contains a citation or a reference to other sources."
> > >
> > > HTML 4 example:
> > >   As <CITE> Harry S. Truman</CITE> said,
> > >    <Q lang="en-us"> The buck stops here.</Q> 
> > >   More information can be found in <CITE> [ISO-0000]</CITE> .
> >
> > I consider that a bug in the HTML 4 spec. I wish I had
> > reviewed it more closely.
> 
> Nevertheless, it was in the spec and therefore many people (I include  
> myself and therefore declare an interest) used <cite> for names of 
> people.

Sure.  But what does such mark-up actually achieve?  If it was a mistake
in the first place and it's pointless then we shouldn't persist with it.

> There is no reason at all to make that incorrect in html5.

There are many things which used to be permitted by HTML but no longer
are, for example various formatting elements and attributes, or using
<dl> to mark up conversations.  That HTML4 permitted something is not in
itself a reason for HTML5 to do so.

Instead the question needs to be asked the other way round, coming up
with a reason why HTML5 should make <cite> for people allowed (rather
than why it shouldn't disallow it).

Smylers

Received on Friday, 11 September 2009 14:59:50 UTC