Re: Note in HTML4 spec about html5?

On Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:59:07 +0100, Benjamin Hawkes-Lewis  
<bhawkeslewis@googlemail.com> wrote:

> On Wed, Mar 14, 2012 at 11:49 AM, Jirka Kosek <jirka@kosek.cz> wrote:
>>> Personally, I'd prefer W3C rescind outdated recommendations, but
>>> linking to more up-to-date specifications is a good substitute.
>>
>> First, it will be maintenance nightmare.
>
> How so?

Only if there are a huge number of specs to deal with. I think the worst  
case would be CSS or Webapps, and in fact they and we have to maintain the  
information already as a working group, and often it is in the status  
section (or some other, poorly read part) so I don't think it is a really  
big problem...

>> Second who is going to decide
>
> Er … the WG responsible for maintaining the specs (that's us).

Yes, that probably makes sense.

>> which specification and which version should contain link to newer one?
>
> I'd suggest all "latest version" specifications should contain a link
> to the HTML5 work.

>> Should HTML4 spec contain link to HTML5 which is far from being  
>> finished?

Actually, I think the HTML specifications shuld all contain a link to a  
document that describes the HTML family of specs which includes H:TML,  
HTML 5, HTML 3.2, XHTML 1.1, Differences between HTML 4 and HTML 5, and so  
on. That document should probably be published from time to time (i.e.  
when something actually changes) as a WG Note...

> HTML4 contained a link to XHTML which, at time of publication, was not
> a Recommendation (it was in CR), so there is precendent.

Yes.

> More importantly, the HTML5 work is what is relevant to implementors.

Yes. Which is a fairly small audience, who are generally very familiar  
with it already compared to the rest of the world. Especially that bit of  
the world which might have a good reason for wanting to look at HTML4, or  
XHTML, or something.

Cheers

Chaals

-- 
Charles 'chaals' McCathieNevile  Opera Software, Standards Group
     je parle français -- hablo español -- jeg kan litt norsk
http://my.opera.com/chaals       Try Opera: http://www.opera.com

Received on Wednesday, 14 March 2012 16:42:12 UTC