[Bug 15176] New: section.html: "equivalence" of two snippets in example

https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=15176

           Summary: section.html: "equivalence" of two snippets in example
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: All
        OS/Version: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: minor
          Priority: P2
         Component: HTML5 spec (editor: Ian Hickson)
        AssignedTo: ian@hixie.ch
        ReportedBy: peter.moulder@monash.edu
         QAContact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: mike@w3.org, public-html-wg-issue-tracking@w3.org,
                    public-html@w3.org


[Severity: Only concerns an example rather than normative text.]

Section 4.4.6 (The h1, h2, ... h6 elements):

# These two snippets are equivalent:
#
# [version using only <h1>, <h2> etc. and no <section>]
#
# [version using <section>]

I would not consider the two snippets to be equivalent if they produce
different rendering or other behaviour affected by the DOM tree.

If by chance the two snippets, when rendered with a stylesheet h1{color:blue}
h2{color:purple} are to result in the same rendering, or if the two snippets
are to give the same DOM tree, then I suggest saying so explicitly, as I would
find either of those behaviours surprising.

If neither is the case, then I believe the text should be corrected, perhaps
changed to "have the same semantics" or "are semantically identical" (which is
the language used in section 4.4.11).

Consider also adding (either here or in section 4.4.11) something that reminds
authors that the two are not entirely equivalent, e.g. mentioning that
stylesheet considerations might favour one of the two over the other, or adding
parenthetically that the two snippets might nevertheless be rendered
differently with some stylesheets.  Such a hint might be most valuable in
author view, but it has some use even to casual implementors given that people
treat a spec as a reference and read it out of context.  (Out of context of the
HTML spec, the "semantics" of a piece of input to a program might be taken to
encompass all of the functional effects of that input on the program, which
would include rendering in the case of an HTML-rendering program.)

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Received on Wednesday, 14 December 2011 03:37:57 UTC