Re: modularity in specifications

I'm not sure I understand what you mean.

Let's try to look at examples.

If a player claims to support both SVG and CSS, can it be conformant
to just SVG but not CSS ? or the opposite ?

I think this depends on the spec itself. If the SVG specs mentions as
part of its conformance claim that CSS must be supported, then the
player has to go by it.

By default, I think a given player can be conformant to just the
pieces tested. Note that when there is a kind of layered dependencies, 
this may be impossible (e.g. you cannot claim conformance to CSS with
your SVG player if you do not support all of SVG, since CSS is
"applied" to SVG, but you could claim conformance to all of HTML in a
duo SVG/HTML player where part of SVG fails).

If your question along these lines ?

Now, should the SVG spec add CSS to its conformance, is I think a
question which depends on other parameters, more at the architectural
level (it may not make sense that it doesn't for instance, or it may
be required for accessibility, etc). So I don't think this should be a 
QA matter.

What is a QA matter is that a description of conformance dependencies
be present (your point 3 below).

> 1.  An implementation is composed of several components.  In order for the 
> implementation to conform to the specification, all its components (the 
> implementation's components) must also conform to the specification.  So,
> -- Conformance of the implementation is the same as the sum of all its 
> components, where each component conforms to the specification.  (Does this 
> make sense for W3C specs?)  If what it means for a component to conform 
> (e.g., claim conformance) is described, would conformance of the 
> implementation also be specified?
> 
> 2.  An implementation is composed of several components, where these 
> components conform to another specification.   So, if this can happen, 
> should we have a checkpoint that says that lists the specifications that 
> the components conform to?
> 
> 3.  A specification is dependent on other specifications.  As part of the 
> conformance statements, should a checkpoint require that these other 
> specifications and their affect on claiming conformance of this 
> specification be described.  (Again does this make sense in W3C specs?)
> 
> 4.  Any other cases of modularity and relationship between the modules that 
> make up a spec?
> 
> Thanks for the assistance.
> lynne
> 
>

Received on Monday, 18 March 2002 11:43:09 UTC