Re: some reflections on @alt usage

In the working groups of which I am a part, consensus is reached and the 
editors implement.  It seems from what you have been saying in these threads 
though that you are the final arbetor of the spec.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ian Hickson" <ian@hixie.ch>
To: "Steven Faulkner" <faulkner.steve@gmail.com>
Cc: "Al Gilman" <Alfred.S.Gilman@ieee.org>; "W3C WAI-XTECH" 
<wai-xtech@w3.org>; "HTML WG" <public-html@w3.org>
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2008 5:29 PM
Subject: Re: some reflections on @alt usage



On Fri, 22 Aug 2008, Steven Faulkner wrote:
>
> [...] it would appear that now you are saying that you do accept:
>
> "The Working Group chairs are the authority as to what the group has
> decided."?

I didn't realise that that was controversial. Our charter is pretty clear
about that.


> and that the WG having made a consensus decision, at the chairs
> direction you will
>
> "make edits scrupulously and reasonably swiftly following the decisions
> of the HTML Working Group"?
>
> Is this an accurate description?

Sure, so long as I am editor, the chairs have the authority (and
responsibility) to override me if I make mistakes. (Similarly, in the
WHATWG, the list of core "members" has the authority to override me or
replace me if I go off the rails.)

Obviously if the chairs started requiring me to make edits that were
stupid, e.g. making the spec require things that browser vendors were
refusing to implement, or making edits that ignored known issues, or
requesting editorial changes of a non-technical nature in a manner that
interferes with my ability to act as an effective editor, I would probably
resign, since I wouldn't want to be associated with the resulting document
in such a situation. But I am confident that our chairs have the same
goals, so I don't see how that could happen.

As far as I am aware, this is all in line with what I've said since before
the working group voted to have me be editor.

-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'

Received on Friday, 22 August 2008 21:50:36 UTC