- From: <bugzilla@jessica.w3.org>
- Date: Sat, 02 Jul 2011 11:06:02 +0000
- To: public-html@w3.org
http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=13120 Summary: Obsolete <wbr> Product: HTML WG Version: unspecified Platform: PC URL: http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/text-level-semantics#the- wbr-element OS/Version: All Status: NEW Severity: normal Priority: P2 Component: HTML5 spec (editor: Ian Hickson) AssignedTo: ian@hixie.ch ReportedBy: xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no QAContact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org CC: mike@w3.org, public-html-wg-issue-tracking@w3.org, public-html@w3.org REQUEST: <wbr> should be made obsolete, in favour of the zero with space character (zwsp). JUSTIFICATON: According to the spec, the usecase for <wbr> is "something which, for effect, is written as one long word". However: (1) The <wbr> usecase is extremely narrow. (2) <wbr>'s benefits over the zero width space character are unclear. It can be styled, and it apparently isn't copied to the clipboard. It can also be said to be easier to type. But if these effects are so important, why don't we also create similar elements for the other whitespace/invisible characters of Unicode? Other whitespace/invisble characters can also be difficult to type, so why does this character need element representation? (3) In praxis, authors do not have a clear picture of what the usecase for <wbr> is. For example, Aryeh in a comment seemd to think the usecase is to avoid that long words make a table stretch (plus the extra benefit over the zero width character hat <wbr> is not copied to the clipboard): http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=13098#c8 Other authors, again (like myself) have seemed to think <wbr> has something to do with hyphenation. (4) The zwsp should be used seldomly and concsiously. The fact that it is difficult to type, is a feature! (Though, OTOH, there are _several_ named character references for it which makes it easy enough to type!) But the fact that <wbr> (which conceptually represents the zwsp character) is valid, will make authors use is it much more often than the use case permits. Why? Because its validity "favors" the zero width space character over the other invisble/whitespace Unicode characters that do not have an HTML element to represent their effect. (5) Authors in reality need something else: When a line break happens in the middle of a word because the word contains a <wbr> element, the result is something which visually looks like two words. While this is in line with <wbr> as HTML5 specifies it, what most authors using <wbr> *really* want/need, is a <shy> element which would make the word become *hyphenated* at the point where <shy> is located. So, if <wbr> remains valid, we should create a lot more white space elements as well. (6) Internet Explorer version 8 and 9 has removed support for <wbr> - they now only support it in Quirks-Mode. Opera still does not support it. In contrast, the zero width character is supported by both Webkit; Firefox, Opera and IE - in standards mode as well. (7) Keeping this element conforming only distracts authors and vendors attention from more important things. (For instance, some web browsers, like Konquerer and some text browsers, have support for <wbr> but do not have support for the zwsp character.) (8) Even if we make it obsolete, conforming HTML5 parsers are still required to support it. Thus, it is pretty risk free. In fact, <wbr> wasn't even mentioned in HTML4, so the fact that it gets obsolete status, can in fact be seen as a form of recognition ... (9) Currently (in HTML5/XHTML1.x), the <wbr> is non-conforming. And since the benefits of <wbr> are so unclear while its drawbacks are so clear, it makes no sense to spend time advocating its validity. -- Configure bugmail: http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
Received on Saturday, 2 July 2011 11:06:04 UTC