Re: WebIDL "Products", was Re: CR exit criteria for Web IDL

Marcos Caceres:
> I don't know how the following relates to, or has any bearing on, the
> exit criteria, but I feel I need to at least mention it (I've been
> thinking about this for a few days now, and something about the above
> is not sitting right with me).
>
> There are at least five types of products I have seen in the wild
> that make use of WebIDL directly.
>
> 1. Specifications (human written): a number of specifications across
> a number of working groups define interfaces in terms of WebIDL.
> E.g., DOM4, HTML5, etc.
>
> 2. Specifications (semi-generated):  WebIDL is taken as input, and
> out comes HTML and content. Examples include Respec.js and widlproc.
> Respec.js is used by specifications in the DAP WG, as well as
> IndexDB, as well as others. Widlproc has been used by groups outside
> the W3C (namely Webinos and WAC).
>
> 3. Test generators: WebIDL is taken as input, out comes lots of
> tests. Example include the generator used to create this test suite:
> http://dev.w3.org/2006/waf/widgets-api/test-suite/
>
> 4. Code generators: WebIDL is taken as input, a code template comes
> out as output. Example includes:
> http://www.chromium.org/nativeclient/sdk/sdk-experimental/c_salt-design/web-idl-and-c-salt
>
>  (I know of one other similar system used on a commercial product,
> but I don't have a link to share)
>
> 5. Browsers: browsers base (or will base) their behavior on it.
>
> Of course, 5 is obviously the most important - and the one you are
> basing the exit criteria on…. 1-4 may or many not be significant
> enough to warrant the attention of the WG when considering
> conformance requirements and exit criteria (depending on what members
> feel is the priority). However, I have a feeling that WebIDL will
> play a pretty important role in QA departments of browser makers. I
> know it's played a very significant role in QA work I've been
> involved in over the last few years.

I think the exit criteria implicitly #1 as well, since we
need to base our #5 tests on specs that correctly use Web IDL.

I am not sure we could do anything useful for #2 - #4 in terms of exit 
criteria.

Received on Saturday, 24 March 2012 00:46:03 UTC