Re: I18N feedback on Issue-88

On Wed, 19 May 2010, Phillips, Addison wrote:
> 
> 3. It really is a requirement that HTML5 clearly specify if (and if so, 
> how the) HTTP Content-Language and/or the Content-Language pragma is 
> assigned to html@lang when html@lang is itself not present.

Agreed regarding the pragma, but the HTTP header should be defined by the 
HTTP spec, not the HTML spec. I'm happy to provide relevant hooks to make 
this easier for the HTTP working group if the current text is insufficent.


> - HTML should (continue to) strongly recommend the presence of @lang 
> (and warn in validators if it is not present)

This would lead to a net increase in bogus values on the Web, as discussed 
by others on this thread.


> - HTML should spell out that the Content-Language (HTTP or <meta>) MUST 
> NOT be used to assign the value of @lang when the latter is not present.

Assuming you mean that user agents must ignore the value of the 
Content-Language pragma, this is what the HTML5 spec used to require, but 
it was found that this is incompatible with legacy content and that is why 
the spec was changed to let the pragma have an effect.


> It would be acceptable to us if user-agents were permitted to use 
> whatever information to assign language an empty @lang

Empty lang means the language is unknown, which is treated as its own 
distinct language, so presumably it would be inappropriate to override 
that.


> The I18N WG recognizes that most browsers *do* use Content-Language as a 
> fallback. However, heretofore this has not affected almost any 
> real-world page processing.

That statement is inconsistent with feedback I have received from browser 
vendors. However, if you can get the browser vendors to stop doing 
anything with the Content-Language pragma, I would be more than happy to 
remove any mention of it from the HTML5 spec.

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

Received on Thursday, 20 May 2010 22:56:48 UTC