Fwd: Web IDL Garden Hose

Resending per request at the bottom of Boris' email. Another example of why
we need a joint list.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Boris Zbarsky <bzbarsky@mit.edu>
Date: Sun, Sep 27, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Subject: Re: Web IDL Garden Hose
To: Brendan Eich <brendan@mozilla.com>
Cc: "public-webapps@w3.org" <public-webapps@w3.org>, HTML WG <
public-html@w3.org>, es-discuss <es-discuss@mozilla.org>


On 9/27/09 3:30 AM, Brendan Eich wrote:

> I believe we could get rid of custom deleters from the Web platform if
>> Firefox and IE remove support for custom deleters in LocalStorage,
>> refuse to add it back, and refuse to implement it for DOMStringMap. If
>> that happened, I'm sure other browsers and the spec would follow suit.
>> I don't think I can convince my colleagues to remove the behavior from
>> WebKit if Gecko and Trident continue to support it.
>>
>
> I'll see what the relevant Mozilla WebAPI hackers think, if they're not
> reading this thread. At this point I suspect it is "too late", in the
> sense that we'd be taking risks with plaform compatibility we don't
> accept in our release version/compatibility plan.
>

Well, that depends on what we mean by "remove".  Probably not removable in
Gecko 1.9.1.x security updates.  Probably removable (in my opinion) in Gecko
1.9.3.  Possibly in Gecko 1.9.2 if the decision is made soon.

What I don't have is data on how much the syntax is used, or how likely
Trident is to remove it too.  If we remove it and Trident doesn't and that
means Webkit keeps shipping it and the spec doesn't change as a result
(which sounds to me like what Maciej is saying will be the outcome in this
situation; the spec part is my guess based on the .tags experience) then
from our point of view it's just wasted effort and web developers being
pissed off at us for not implementing The Spec (without understanding that
it's an early draft) and then we'd end up just having to put deleters back
in but lose a bunch of goodwill.  That's a strictly losing proposition for
us.

If Webkit commits to removing if we remove and the editor commits to
removing from the spec in that circumstance, then I think we could make the
removal stick no matter what Trident does...

-Boris

P.S.  I _am_ ccing es-discuss on this as on my other mails, but of course
that list bounces all mail from me, since I'm not a member.  If someone
cares about letting that list's membership know that they're missing part of
the discussion and is able to do so, please go for it.




-- 
   Cheers,
   --MarkM