- From: Farrukh Najmi <Farrukh.Najmi@Sun.COM>
- Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 08:57:47 -0400
- To: "Seaborne, Andy" <andy.seaborne@hp.com>, RDF Data Access Working Group <public-rdf-dawg@w3.org>
Seaborne, Andy wrote: >Hi there, > >And what is "a normative optional feature" :-) Normative (in W3C speak at >least) means "mandatory". > >It's the only one in the doc, by the way - there is an "optional normative" >item as well. > > Andy > > According to webster, normative means: http://webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=normative&x=0&y=0 Main Entry: *nor·ma·tive* <javascript:popWin('/cgi-bin/audio.pl?normat01.wav=normative')> Pronunciation: 'nor-m&-tiv Function: /adjective/ Etymology: French /normatif, /from /norme /norm, from Latin /norma/ *1* *:* of, relating to, or determining norms <http://webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=norms> or standards </normative/ tests> *2* *:* conforming to or based on norms <http://webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=norms> </normative/ behavior> </normative/ judgments> *3* *:* prescribing norms <http://webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=norms> </normative/ rules of ethics> </normative/ grammar> - *nor·ma·tive·ly* /adverb/ - *nor·ma·tive·ness* /noun/ Dont know about W3C but there is nothing mutually exclusive about "Normative" and "Required Vs. Optional". A required feature MUST be implemented. A normative feature MUST be implemented according to the specified standard. Required features SHOULD be normative. However, there is nothing that says that a spec cannot define a normative feature as being optional. In such cases an implementation MAY implement the feature and if they do they MUST implement it according to the specification. In the ebXML Registry we have selectively used optional normative features as way to introduce new functionality in the spec without burdening implementors to implement every single feature. It is anticipated that most optional features will become required in a subsequent version of the spec. This allows some flow control between introducing major new features in specs and those features being addressed by implementors. Thanks. -- Regards, Farrukh
Received on Friday, 28 May 2004 08:57:50 UTC