Re: Call for Consensus - Remove <keygen> from HTML

On Sat, 21 May 2016 14:24:26 +0200, Chaals McCathie Nevile  
<chaals@yandex-team.ru> wrote:

> this is a call for consensus on the proposal
>
>   The keygen element should be removed from the HTML 5.1 specification.
>
> This is to resolve issue #43 https://github.com/w3c/html/issues/43 - the  
> result would be along the lines of pull request 354:  
> https://github.com/w3c/html/pull/354

While the responses directly to the thread were in favour of removing it,  
we had deliberately solicited input from other areas where there is  
interest and expertise - notably the www-tag mailing list, because this  
has been a topic of discussion [1], and a *draft* document represented as  
having rough consensus of the TAG [2]. There was a substantial publicly  
archived discussion in that thread, and we have taken it into account in  
reaching the resolution of this proposal.

> There have been various discussions elsewhere, and the links from the  
> issue give more detail. Broadly, the motivation for removal is poor  
> interoperability in the modern web, poor suitability for purpose, and  
> likely deprecation or removal from browsers.

There appears to be a small group of users relying on this element for  
valid and important use cases. The element has been part of the web for a  
long time, and while its interoperability is decreasing, there is not yet  
an obvious replacement for the functionality it offers.

We plan to mark it "At risk" in the HTML 5.1 Candidate Recommendation. In  
line with our general move to try and produce a reality-driven  
interoperable standard, if we find only one shipping product still has  
support, we may remove it during the CR period.

We will also remove it from the first draft of HTML 5.2, which we expect  
to publish this month. We hope that it is either repaired, which seems  
unlikely, or replaced which seems possible but not certain, in the  
timeframe of HTML 5.2 development.

[0] http://www.w3.org/mid/op.yh9rtjsbs7agh9@widsith.local and replies
[1] e.g. the thread following  
http://www.w3.org/mid/63BFCC95-193C-4264-9A8D-E326A06ED24D@w3.org
[2] https://w3ctag.github.io/client-certificates/#replacing-keygen

Thanks to all those who took the time to explain their perspectives on  
this issue.

for the chairs

Chaals

-- 
Charles McCathie Nevile - web standards - CTO Office, Yandex
  chaals@yandex-team.ru - - - Find more at http://yandex.com

Received on Thursday, 2 June 2016 22:20:32 UTC