- From: Lynne Rosenthal <lynne.rosenthal@nist.gov>
- Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 14:47:36 -0400
- To: www-qa-wg@w3.org
- Message-Id: <6.0.0.22.2.20040726144535.01c1bc38@mailserver.nist.gov>
Comments Please - examples and techniques needed. Thanks Lynne +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Principle: Indicate which subdivisions are mandatory for conformance What does this mean? Regardless of the subdivision technique (i.e., profile, level or module), state whether one or more of the subdivisions is required for conformance. Why care? Subdividing the technology affects and can complicate conformance with all the various combination of choices it provides – (a Chinese menu syndrome – 1 from column A, 2 from column B and desert is included). Thinking about the various possibilities helps to structure the conformance model, taking into account how the subdivision will affect various classes of products. Implementers as well as users need to know what is mandatory, optional, prohibited or conditional with respect to choosing what to implement and be conformant. Related Conformance Principles/Practices of SpecGL Techniques In the conformance clause, list the subdivisions that are mandatory for conformance. To help build this list, consider the following questions. * Can an implementation conform without implementing one of the subdivisions? * Does the subdivision apply to specific classes of products and not others? * Are there combinations of the subdivided technology that always go together and can not be implemented alone? Examples: Content can be required to conform to one of the subdivisions (e.g., profiles) or it may be conformant to the specification independently of a subdivision. The question arises for a producer (of content): is it conforming if it generates content that is otherwise valid but does not conform to the subdivision. Principle: Address subdivision conditions or constraints What does this mean? This is a corollary to the Principle above. Beyond being mandatory or not, subdivisions usually have conformance consequences due to minimal or new requirements, restrictions, interrelationships, and variability, etc. As part of the conformance clause, describe the conditions or constraints associated with each subdivision Why care? Creating subdivisions can get complicated, not just for the specification editor but for implementers who must pick and choose from the set of subdivisions. Well designed subdivisions that convey the conditions, constraints, interrelationships, etc. will improve the clarity and understanding of the specification, conformance to the specification and facilitate implementation and interoperability. Techniques In the conformance clause, describe the conditions or constraints on subdivision usage. To help accomplish this, model or graph the subdivisions indicating the following that applies: * Atomicity of the subdivisions Represent each subdivision showing its atomicity. * Mandatory subdivisions Label the subdivisions that are mandatory * Minimal requirements List minimal requirements for each subdivision. * Dependencies among subdivisions Show dependencies and interrelationships of the subdivisions. For example, modules that requires and builds on functionally related modules, i.e., modules that require modules from other functional areas. * Conditions and constraints on subdivisions groups Indicate conditions and constraints for combined occurrences of subdivision pairs or groups * Conditions or constraints associated with specific classes of products Indicate which conditions and constraints are applicable to specific classes or products. * Other conditions or constraints beyond these Indicate any other conditions or constraints. Examples: SMIL 2.0 has a SMILO 2.0 Language Profile for user agents but also provides a SMIL 2.0 Basic Profile for wireless and embedded devices. The SMIL 2.0 language Profile requires that a user agent implement the BasicAnimation module but not the SplineAnimation Module. The SMIL 2.0 Basic Profile on the other hand does not require implementation of any of the animation modules. Dependency or interrelationship between profiles and modules is common – XHTML, SMIL, SVG 1.1 [@@ would be great to graph/model a technology]
Received on Monday, 26 July 2004 14:48:48 UTC