Re: WebIDL: how to address the various audiences and constraints?

Hi, Robin-

Robin Berjon wrote (on 9/30/09 6:21 AM):
> On Sep 30, 2009, at 14:27 , Arthur Barstow wrote:
>> On Sep 30, 2009, at 8:16 AM, ext Robin Berjon wrote:
>> We should probably seek input from the Team on the actual rules on
>>>> this.
>>>
>>> Yup. Doug? Mike?
>>
>> We had a related thread a few weeks ago and Ian Jacobs provided some
>> input:
>>
>> [admin] Spec dependencies and advancing a spec
>> http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-webapps/2009JulSep/0819.html
>
> Ah thanks, missed that! So basically it need to be reported but there
> are no rules. But presumably it needs to be reported because it is
> grounds for refusal...

Not necessarily.  It's information the Director needs to know in order 
to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether that is a blocking dependency.

Web IDL is an unusual spec in this regard.  It's not meant itself to be 
implemented, which opens up the question of what its exit criteria are 
(we've had this discussion on the list before).  And also, it is 
designed to provide a level of abstraction away from the bindings 
themselves, so a spec that uses it may well find that while the details 
of the bindings have changed in Web IDL, the way to express those in 
their own spec has not... thus, different levels of stability may be 
required.



> I guess that TWI makes use of WebIDL that is trivial enough that we can
> make the case it won't change. So that probably keeps WebApps in the
> clear for a while. We'll see how it goes for DAP, it's too early to tell.

Yes.  Depending on how stable particular parts of the spec are judged to 
be, it could be argued to the Director that normative dependencies on 
those parts won't negatively impact a spec going to CR or possibly even 
Rec.

Still, I'd like to see Web IDL reach some stable plateau soon, and maybe 
even go to LC, because I'd like to use it for DOM3 Events, if at all 
possible.  I'm hoping to go to LC for DOM3 Events in late November.

Regards-
-Doug Schepers
W3C Team Contact, SVG and WebApps WGs

Received on Thursday, 1 October 2009 17:36:48 UTC