FW: XHTML 2 Working Group Charter Will Be Allowed to Expire End of 2009; More Resources for HTML 5

I don't know to what extent XML Core WG members are 
interested, but I thought I'd forward this fyi.

paul

-----Original Message-----
From: w3c-ac-forum-request@w3.org On Behalf Of Ian Jacobs
Sent: Thursday, 2009 July 02 12:52
To: W3C Members
Cc: Michael Smith; Philippe Le Hegaret
Subject: XHTML 2 Working Group Charter Will Be Allowed to Expire End of 2009; More Resources for HTML 5

Dear Advisory Committee Representative,

When W3C announced the HTML and XHTML 2 Working Groups in March
2007 [0], we indicated in the press release [1] that we would
"consider rebranding the technology to clarify its independence
and value in the marketplace." After numerous discussions since
then, including most recently at the March AC meeting [2], W3C
management has decided to allow the XHTML 2 Working Group's
charter [3] to expire at the end of the year and not to renew it.
We recognize the value of the XHTML 2 Working Group's
contributions over the years and have discussed these changes
with some of the Participants.

To help answer your questions, we have prepared a FAQ:
   http://www.w3.org/2009/06/xhtml-faq

which includes answers to these and other questions:

  What are W3C's plans for XHTML?
  How will HTML 5 manage (decentralized) extensibility?
  What are W3C's plans for the deliverables of the XHTML 2 Working  
Group?

As acknowledged in FAQ, there is still significant work to do to
ensure that HTML 5 meets the needs of the community.  The HTML
Working Group Chairs have indicated that they will seek consensus
on hot topics such as decentralized extensibility prior to
advancing to Last Call. We expect TPAC 2009 to be an important
opportunity for discussion.

W3C management plans to increase staff resources in the HTML
Working Group, including having Mike Smith spend nearly 100% of
his time in the group.  Mikes will also replace Steven Pemberton
as HTML Activity Lead. The expectation is that Steven Pemberton
will take over Mike's work on widgets. Philippe Le Hégaret will
also dedicate some time to ensuring the group's progress.  The
total staff FTE allocation to the HTML Activity increases from
1.2 to 1.45 by virtue of these changes.

By allowing the XHTML 2 Working Group to close, by increasing
resources for HTML 5, and by clarifying our messages about the
future of HTML, we hope to accelerate progress and solidify
community support. We will continue other efforts in this area
such as what the proper document license is for HTML 5.

If you have any questions, please contact Philippe Le Hégaret
<plh@w3.org> or Mike Smith <mike@w3.org>.

For Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director;
Mike Smith, HTML Activity Lead; and
Philippe Le Hégaret, Interaction Domain Leader;
Ian Jacobs, Head of W3C Communications

[0] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-ac-members/2007JanMar/0061
[1] http://www.w3.org/2007/03/html-pressrelease.html.en
[2] http://www.w3.org/2009/03/23-ac-minutes
[3] http://www.w3.org/2007/03/XHTML2-WG-charter

--
Ian Jacobs (ij@w3.org)    http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs/
Tel:                                      +1 718 260 9447

Received on Thursday, 2 July 2009 18:25:33 UTC