Communicating status information about WebNFC [Was: Planning to close Web NFC Community Group due to inactivity unless we hear from you]

Hi Anssi,

Thank you for the updates. It sounds like we should keep the group open, and I would like to work with you to communicate clearly to the community the status of the work. For example, it would be helpful to include status information and standardization expectations in the Specification and the GitHub repo. (You may also have other places where it would be useful to provide status updates.)

Here are the kinds of messages I would like to communicate (if I understand the situation correctly):

* The WebNFC Specification has stabilized. The group may still make changes based on implementation feedback.
* WebNFC is currently shipping in one browser engine (Chromium) and available in multiple browsers on multiple devices.
* We invite people to use this API with caution because it may change. We welcome feedback and deployment stories.
* MDN includes developer documentation about the API.
* WebNFC is not a W3C standard and is not currently on the W3C standards track. However, once the group detects interest in a second implementation we expect to pursue standardization.

Do those statements resonate? (Feel free to correct them and edit them.)

Thank you again,

Ian

> On May 26, 2025, at 12:18 PM, Kostiainen, Anssi <anssi.kostiainen@intel.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi Ian,
> 
>> On 23. May 2025, at 20.28, Ian Jacobs <ij@w3.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Anssi,
>> 
>> Thank you for the reply. I’ve snipped out some information and have additional questions inline. Have a good weekend,
> 
> […]
> 
>> These are important signals of traction, so we are interested in understanding more about the group’s standardization plans. Here are the kinds of responses that would be interesting:
> 
> […]
> 
>> * We are optimistic for a second implementation, so not much is happening right now, but if we get a second implementation, we’ll start planning for standardization.
> 
> I think the above statement most accurately represent the group’s current position.
> 
> Add-on-gating is one mechanism that has helped other similar device-centric APIs to gather further implementation experience:
> 
> https://github.com/mozilla/standards-positions/pull/704
> 
> This mechanism would be compatible with the Web NFC API.
> 
>> Feel free to answer whatever you’d like, but I’d like to get a deeper understanding of the standardization plans.
>> 
>>>> We also recommend the following:
>>>> 
>>>> * Let us know where the activity is going on so that we can update our data and improve our tools.
>>> 
>>> In the GH repo at https://github.com/w3c/web-nfc
>> 
>> That’s the one we link to. But there’s been no commits for 7 months, which is one signal we are looking at to detect activity.
> 
> We don’t currently have active new feature work for this API. That said, there’s helpful discussion in GH issues and the broader community is engaging with the group.
> 
>>>> * Update your group home page with news of your activities. Chairs can use the Wordpress instance of the group to post news; let us know if you have any questions.
>>> 
>>> We’ll post news when we hit significant milestones. Meanwhile, everyone interested is encouraged to watch the above-mentioned GH repo for updates.
>> 
>> Do you have any expectation about imminent updates, or mostly waiting for a second implementation?
> 
> No imminent updates expected.
> 
>>>> If you would like us to keep the group open because you expect it to become active in the near future or for other compelling reasons, just let us know.
>>>> 
>>>> If you would like to schedule a call to discuss the current status of your group, your plans, and any obstacles to success, or you simply have questions about the CG program, please let us know.
>>>> 
>>>> If would like us to close the group, or if we do not hear from you in the next 30 days, we will plan to close the group.
>>> 
>>> Thanks for checking the group's status. I hope this update helps you make an informed decision.
>> 
>> Let’s continue this discussion and see what we come up with. :)
> 
> Thank you. Looking forward to hearing what is your recommendation.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> -Anssi
> 

--
Ian Jacobs <ij@w3.org>
https://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs/
Tel: +1 917 450 8783

Received on Thursday, 29 May 2025 14:57:32 UTC