Re: Feedback on 07 September 2010 draft re DOMActivate

Hi, Dan-

Jonas Sicking wrote (on 11/18/10 3:08 AM):
>
> DOM Level 3 Events explicitly allows you to fire DOMActivate. Quoting
> from the spec:
>
> "Other specifications may define and maintain their own DOMActivate
> event type for backwards compatibility".
>
> So if you want to keep using DOMActivate neither me nor the DOM Level
> 3 Events spec is standing in your way.

Just to amplify what Jonas said, we went out of our way in DOM3 Events 
to improve how DOMActivate is specified, even while deprecating it.  To 
be clear, deprecation of a feature is not the same as removing it; as 
the spec says:
  "Features marked as deprecated in this specification are expected to 
be dropped from future specifications."

You *may* still reference and use DOMActivate... but you *should not*. 
In RFC-2119 terms, since you have a good reason to continue using it 
(legacy content, architectural considerations), you should feel 
comfortable that that is a justified reason.  So, nothing prevents any 
spec, including VoiceXML, from using the perfectly functional definition 
of DOMActivate in DOM3 Events.

If it would help, I could add an informative note to the definition of 
DOMActivate, stating that there are languages such as VoiceXML and 
XForms that only have the abstract DOMActivate event, and not the click 
event, so for compatibility and legacy reasons, authors using those 
languages should still use DOMActivate.


Note that since VoiceXML (and XForms) doesn't use the 'click' event, it 
may not be as relevant to you, but having both does considerably 
complicate the model not only for visual browser implementers, but also 
for authors.  Deprecating DOMActivate sends a strong signal to visual 
browser authors that the accessible event to use for that environment is 
indeed the click event; this matches what accessibility technology does 
today, so a clear and simple instruction there is necessary.

I know that the HTML Speech XG (and maybe the Voice Browser WG) is 
interested in facilitating the integration of voice into visual 
browsers, so taking Jonas' feedback to heart would probably be a good 
first step there.

Finally, some concept of 'activation' may also emerge from the 
high-level events in the Web Events WG, alongside the touch interface 
work.  I'll keep you posted.  In the meantime, however, while I am happy 
to add the informative note mentioned above, this group is firmly 
committed to deprecating DOMActivate.

While I'm sure that's not satisfying to you, I hope you do understand 
the background and rationale behind this decision.

Regards-
-Doug Schepers
W3C Team Contact, SVG, WebApps, and Web Events WGs

Received on Wednesday, 17 November 2010 21:53:35 UTC