Final Draft intro to Process 2016 Document to be sent to

All,

This is a final draft that incorporates the changes suggested by Judy Zhu,
updates the copied 5.2.6 text to be from the current (2 Aug) draft, adds the
change to remove "W3C does not sponsor conferences" , adds an explanation of
60 day period between charter announcement and the Call for Participation
that is based on yesterday's discussion of that topic and added a comment
date of 27 August (4 weeks from 3 August) which assumes that the AC call
goes out tomorrow, 3 August. If Chaals issues an updated draft, the HTML
Diff link will need to be updated. The other two links (to the document and
detailed change list) point to the most current draft. Perhaps these should
be changed to point explicitly at the draft that is put out for review so
that, as comments come in and are processed, we can have updated drafts for
our use and not change which draft is being reviewed.

 

Steve Z

 

=========Draft Letter ========

All,

The Advisory Board is forwarding a proposed Process 2016 draft [1], [2] and
[3] to the Advisory Committee for consideration and comment. The plan is
that, based on the received comments, a revised draft will be sent to the
Advisory Committee for formal Review prior to the September TPAC meeting and
that there will be time for questions and comments on the proposed Review
document at the TPAC meeting. 

[1] https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html

[2] http://clck.ru/A3XKF (HTML Diff version)

[3] https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/ (Detailed Diffs)

 

Please send comments as soon as possible (to facilitate response
preparation) and prior to August 27th (a 4 week comment period). Comments
should be sent  to public-w3process@w3.org <mailto:public-w3process@w3.org>
(Mailing list archive
<https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-w3process/> , publicly
available) or to process-issues@w3.org (Member-only archive
<https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/process-issues> ). A Public Issue
Tracker <https://www.w3.org/community/w3process/track/>  and detailed
changelogs <https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/>  are available online. You may
discuss your comments on any other list, such as w3c-ac-forum@w3.org
<mailto:w3c-ac-forum@w3.org> , as long as you send the comments to one of
the W3process lists above and copy that list in the discussion.

 

The major changes in this document and their rationale are outlined below:

 

Renumbered - 5.2.8, it becomes 5.2.7 (there was no section 5.2.7 in Process
2015)

 

 

Removed the statement that the W3C doesn't organize conferences

 

 

Added a process to make a Recommendation Obsolete and consolidate it with
Rescinding a Recommendation - 6.9
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#rec-rescind> 

The AB observed that there are some Recommendations that have (mostly)
outlived their usefulness and should no longer be implemented in new
software. This class of Recommendations, called Obsolete Recommendations,
is different from the class of Rescinded Recommendations. Rescinding is an
existing process that has an effect on patent licensing commitments (see
section 5 of the patent policy). This change only adds obsoleting (and
un-obsoleting). A Recommendation that is Obsoleted remains a Recommendation,
it still has patent licensing commitments and it can be referenced
Normatively, but implementation of that Recommendation is discouraged.

 

Section 6.9 of the Process Document has been changed to add (to the process
to Rescind a Recommendation) a specification of the processes to Obsolete
and to un-Obsolete a Recommendation. The details of the process are similar
in each case, but the effect is different. For a few reasons - to streamline
the process, because it's a simple yes/no question (that is, the content of
the affected Recommendation, except for the Status section, does not
change), and because we would only obsolete when we don't know of anyone to
contact to ask for wide review - Wide Review prior to the AC (and Public)
Review is not required or necessary.

 

Anyone can request one of these actions. If the Working Group that produced
the specification is still extant (or exists as a re-chartered group) then
that Working Group acts to recommend that the requested action take place.
If there is no such Working Group, the TAG acts to do a technical assessment
of the requested action. If proceeding is recommended or the AC appeals a
rejection, then an AC Review and the Director's Decision determine the
result. See 6.9
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#rec-rescind>  for the
exact details.

 

Changed the voting for AB and TAG elections to Single Transferable Vote -
2.5.2
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#AB-TAG-elections> 

 

The W3C Membership recommended that W3C experiment with different voting
mechanisms for TAG and AB elections. After analysis of the 2-year experiment
that occurred as a result of that recommendation, the Membership supported
the adoption of an Single Transferable Vote tabulation system for TAG and AB
elections with the expectation that it will be more representative of the
Membership's will.

 

The text that is in the proposed Process document was designed with the
following goals in mind:

*        The tabulation system description (and choice of specific
tabulation system) should be independent of the process document text. 

*        The tabulation system should be described independent of specific
voting operations (e.g., the forms that members fill out). 

*        The tabulation system should be described independent of any
software we use to compute results (that is: we should not rely on a single
piece of software for implementation).

 

The Team currently believes that the Meek STV
<https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/steve/trunk/stv_background/meekm.pdf>
tabulation system is the best fit for the TAG and AB elections. Details on
why and how are at https://www.w3.org/community/w3process/wiki/Voting2016. 

 

 

Simplified and Rationalized Appeals, so they can occur whether there was
dissent or not, and in a broader range of cases - see especially 6.4
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#candidate-rec> , 6.6
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#rec-publication> ,
6.9 <https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#rec-rescind> , 7
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#ReviewAppeal> , 7.2
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#ACAppeal> , 7.3
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/ACVotes> , 10
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#Submission> , 10.4
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#SubmissionNo> , 11
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#GAProcess> 

Toward the end of the process of creating Process 2015, a number of issues
related to "appeals" in the W3C process surfaced. At that time, there seemed
to be too little time to appropriately address the issues with the care that
seemed to be needed. These issues (and ones which have arisen since then)
are addressed in the proposed Process 2016. 

 

These changes made the following clarifications:

A.     Which of the three types of appeal is to be used MUST be explicitly
identified. The three types are:

i.                  Group Decision Appeal

ii.                 Submission Appeal

iii.                Advisory Committee Appeal

B.     Who can initiate the appeal MUST be identified (whether it is an
individual or an AC Representative)

C.      What is being appealed, what "decision" and who (chair, Director,
W3C or Team) made it MUST be identified.

D.     There should be a specification of what DOCUMENTATION should
accompany each type of appeal. This is specified for a Group Decision
Appeal.

 

Note: Formal Objections are not strictly an "appeal". They are "registered"
not "initiated" and they follow the document to which they apply. A separate
step, the Group Decision Appeal, that asks the Director to "confirm or deny
a decision" (of the group) is the appeal mechanism. Any individual may
register a Formal Objection, but only group participants may issue a Group
Decision Appeal and if they belong to a Member organization then they must
do so through their AC Representative.

 

Finally, the rules for what decisions are appealable were simplified to be
uniform across each class of decisions.

 

Clarified the rights and obligations of Member Consortia and their
representatives - 2.1.2
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#RelatedAndConsortiumM
embers> 

The Problems:
When we introduced the Introductory Industry Membership level [4, 5] we
imposed limitations on the rights and privileges of this category of Member.
The proposed change eliminates the disagreement between the current terms of
an Introductory Industry Member per their Member Agreement and this section
of the Process which implies such Members may participate in (all) Working
Groups and Interest Groups.
 
[4] http://www.w3.org/Consortium/fees?showall=1
[5] http://www.w3.org/2014/08/intromem
 
In looking at the way we define the entitlements of Member Organizations
that are also a Consortium in nature, there are a couple of issues that need
to be addressed.  They arise from the fact that we allow these Members to
appoint four (or more) people to represent them within W3C.  While we say
they are there to represent the Consortium we have been experiencing cases
where these designated representatives are in fact representing their own
interests.  This opens an IP exposure for W3C because we don't have
commitments from their employers, just from the Consortium.  It also offers
a "back door" for large corporations to participate without joining
themselves.  The proposed changes, in section 2.1.2
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#RelatedAndConsortiumM
embers> , attempt to close those loopholes.
 

Clarified the process for continuing work on a specification initially
developed under another charter - 5.2.3
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#CharterReview> ,
5.2.4 <https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#cfp> , 5.2.6
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#WGCharter> , 6.2.2
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#transition-reqs> .

When the W3C Patent Policy and Process Documents were drafted, some Members
may have assumed that work on a W3C Recommendation would be the product of
work under a single Working Group charter; instead, Working Drafts often
evolve through multiple Working Group charters. The major uncertainty has
often been phrased as "When do Working Groups end?", but in fact concerns
the situation where a Recommendation is developed under more than one
Working Group Charter.  Many specifications take more than one charter
period to move from First Public Working Draft to Recommendation. There is a
longstanding practice of adopting a Working Draft that was published under a
previous charter, and continuing to develop it in a Working Group with a
newer charter.

 

The changes apply to Working Drafts that have had a full exclusion
opportunity under a Working Group pursuant to the Patent Policy (i.e.,
Reference Draft (RD) issued within 90 days of a First Public Working Draft
(FPWD) and a Candidate Recommendation (CR) (called Last Call Working Draft
(LCWD) in the Patent Policy).

 

The changes in this draft cover:

a)    A change in the W3C Process Document to clarify how work can continue
under a new Working Group charter on a Working Draft that has already had a
full exclusion opportunity; and

b)    Suggested improvements in practice to improve the ability to trace the
origin of Working Drafts, and their associated Reference Drafts and
Candidate Recommendations.

 

The most relevant text, currently in section 5.2.6 Working Group and
Interest Group Charters, is:

"For every Recommendation Track deliverable that continues work on a Working
Draft (WD) published under any other Charter (including a predecessor group
of the same name), for which there is an existing Reference Draft or
Candidate Recommendation, the description of that deliverable in the
proposed charter of the adopting Working Group must provide the following
information:

*        The title, stable URL, and publication date of the Adopted Working
Draft which will serve as the basis for work on the deliverable

*        The title, stable URL, and publication date of the most recent
Reference Draft or Candidate Recommendation
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#last-call>  which
triggered an Exclusion Opportunity per the Patent Process

*        The stable URL of the Working Group charter under which the most
recent Reference Draft or Candidate Recommendation was published.

These data must be identified in the charter with the labels "Adopted
Working Draft", "most recent Reference Draft", "most recent Candidate
Recommendation", and "Other Charter", respectively.

The Reference Draft is the latest Working Draft published within 90 days of
the First Public Working Draft
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#first-wd>  or if no
Public Working Draft has been published within 90 days of the First Public
Working Draft it is that First Public Working Draft. It is the specific
draft against which exclusions are made, as per section 4.1
<https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy/#sec-exclusion-with>  of the
W3C Patent Policy <https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy>  [PUB33
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#ref-patentpolicy> ].

The Adopted Working Draft and the most recent Reference Draft or Candidate
Recommendation
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#last-call>  must each
be adopted in their entirety and without any modification. The proposed
charter must state that the most recent Reference Draft or Candidate
Recommendation is deemed to be the Reference Draft or Candidate
Recommendation of the Adopted Working Draft, and the date when the Exclusion
Opportunity that arose on publishing the First Public Working Draft or
Candidate Recommendation began and ended. As per section 4.3
<https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy/#sec-join>  of the W3C Patent
Policy <https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy>  [PUB33
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#ref-patentpolicy> ],
this potentially means that exclusions can only be made immediately on
joining a Working Group.

The Director must not issue a call for participation less than 60 days after
the beginning of an Advisory Committee Review for a charter that continues
work on a document that has had a Reference Draft or Candidate
Recommendation published."

This 60 waiting period guarantees that the Exclusion period for a First
Public Working Draft issued 90 days before the announcement of a
(re-)charter or a Candidate Recommendation issued before the announcement of
the (re-)charter will have completed under the charter under which it was
issued. This also allows time to assess any patent implications that might
arise from a scope change in the new charter.

Other changes are in 5.2.3
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#CharterReview> ,
5.2.4 <https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#cfp> , 6.2.2
<https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html#transition-reqs> 

Note:  Except for Section 3.1 of the Patent Policy, there is no explicit
statement in the 

Patent Policy that commitments made under the Patent Policy ever expire.