Re: [w3c/charter-html] Charter must state a reason when duplicating work done elsewhere (#139)

@jeffjaffe 

I agree that the second level (finding a way to work together) is the more important goal. The reason I insist on the first level (stating the reason) is that I see it as a necessary precondition: unless the W3C stakeholders are in rough agreement on what our position is, we cannot hope to clearly and consistently communicate to the WHATWG what that position is, to explain our actions, or to have a productive dialog as to what adjustment to our ways or theirs could lead to closer cooperation.

@LJWatson Thank you for the proposed text (and thank @michaelchampion for the earlier draft) . I think it does capture much of what has been said here. I would add one more thing to it based on what @chaals described the work mode to be, since it seems a direct and important consequence of the reasons you quoted. Proposal (additions compared to your text in bold):

>The Web Platform WG and the WHAT WG both produce versions of the HTML and DOM specifications. The Web Platform WG works on the HTML and DOM specifications for many reasons, including:
> * The specifications are protected under the W3C Patent Policy, ensuring that HTML and DOM remain royalty free for use by implementors and authors;
> * The specifications are developed with contributions from a broad range of stakeholders including implementors and authors, as well as specialists in accessibility, internationalisation, privacy, and security;
> * The specifications are produced by a globally recognised standards organization, with a governance model that is designed to find consensus amongst the many diverse constituents of the web platform.
>
> **Based on these considerations, recognizing the different governance and priorities of the WHATWG, _and in full awareness that these documents originated at the WHATWG_, the Web Platform WG does not treat the WHATWG as upstream for ongoing work, and intends to exercise independent editorial control over these specifications.** 
>The Web Platform Working Group should **nonetheless** make an effort to avoid differences between WHATWG and Web Platform WG specifications that harm interoperability on the Web.


(the bit in italic does not change how the work is/will be conducted, and therefore could be considered optional, but giving credit where credit is due is good, and the previous text did include recognition that these documents originated at the WHATWG)

I do not know if this would get the approval of the AC or if some members may think that their goals are in conflict with this, but it does seems to reflect the reality of how these specifications are handled today, and is specific enough to that people can meaningfully say whether or not they agree with this policy.

If this (or minor tweaks to it) gets the approval of the AC, I think we will have a significantly clarified charter.

If it does not, that would mean that (part of) the AC opposes the current working mode, and I would then suggest that for this charter update we strictly limit the modifications to the changes in deliverables, that we do not extend the duration this time, nor include the scope change discussed in #142, and keep working at trying to resolve this issue in anticipation of the next full-scale charter renewal.

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Received on Wednesday, 24 May 2017 03:07:11 UTC