- From: David Singer <singer@apple.com>
- Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 10:43:05 -0800
- To: Sam Ruby <rubys@intertwingly.net>
- Cc: public-w3process@w3.org
> On Dec 14, 2014, at 8:27 , Sam Ruby <rubys@intertwingly.net> wrote: > > On 12/14/2014 09:41 AM, Léonie Watson wrote: >> Chaals wrote: >> "In my own experience on the AB, in principle people could read the mailing >> list and minutes for the last few years to find out what had already been >> discussed before they joined, but it seems rare that it actually happens, >> resulting in revisiting things that don't need to be rehashed (as well as >> revisiting questions that are due to be revisited - it isn't as if the >> answers to questions that were given from 5-10 years ago should never be >> re-opened)." >> >> I can't speak for TAG specifically, but generally with these things it's >> helpful to have some work-mode continuity too. Otherwise there tends to be a >> period with minimal productivity whilst the new group figures out its >> approach. It's difficult to discover how things are done just by reading >> minutes/mailing lists, no matter how diligent someone is. > > I don't think that there is any question that continuity is desirable. > > I will simply note that in the W3C there seems to be an institutional propensity to define process with the intent of preventing undesirable things from happening. This is an aside to the current discussion: I actually think that handling difficulty, preventing undesirable things, and so on, is the main point of a process; to help guide you when life gets tough. Is this OK? What are we supposed to do? and so on. No-one needs process when everyone is in agreement with what’s going on; and no-one likes having to apply a point of principle once it’s in the course of being violated — you want to have settled the principle ‘in the abstract’ before you hit an ‘instance’, if at all possible. Problems arise when the process gets in the way, of course. David Singer Manager, Software Standards, Apple Inc.
Received on Monday, 15 December 2014 18:43:30 UTC