RE: Outline for Umbrella Specifications in ViS

In my usually style - I suggest being simple, short, and to the point.  For now, how about we just introduce the concept.  This is rough, but to give you an idea, how about something like:

It is not always practical, desirable, or possible to have a monolithic specification - that is, one that presents the requirements for a technology in a single document.  The Working Group may produce several documents that act collectively to specify the technology (e.g., Web Ontology Language OWL).  There are all sorts of reasons for having or needing a collection or series of specifications to describe a technology.  These reasons include: 
-- the technology is too big to present in one document, 
-- the technology evolves over time 
-- the technology is easier to understand or organize as multiple documents
-- the technology consists of several disciplines that revolve around a single information model or framework.

In these cases, there should be a single document, called an umbrella specification that ties all the documents together.  The umbrella specification serves as foundation document for the entire collection or series.  It can provide:
--a roadmap to the documents, including listing them
-- a global view to the technology,
-- an explanation or rationale for creating a series of documents
-- a description of each document
-- terminology that applies across the technology 
-- describe the relationship among the documents
-- conformance clause for the technology
-- discussion of the conformance model and/or conformance consequences when selection among the documents.
-- PICs for the technology
-- a tutorial to the technology


Examples of umbrella specifications
(we have several)

---Lynne





> -----Original Message-----
> From: www-qa-wg-request@w3.org [mailto:www-qa-wg-request@w3.org] On Behalf
> Of Karl Dubost
> Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 2:46 PM
> To: 'www-qa-wg@w3.org'
> Subject: Re: Outline for Umbrella Specifications in ViS
> 
> 
> 
> Le 05-06-21 à 10:00, Tim Boland a écrit :
> > Finally, in answer to the question "Why does a WG choose to define
> > a Web technology by having multiple specifications?" , in the case
> > of CSS, some communities of interest approached the CSSWG about
> > specific needs for their platforms (for example, cell phone, PDA,
> > television, printer, speech synthesizer, etc).  Results
> > of these approaches may be various CSS profiles.    More
> > information on the various CSS levels and profiles (and their
> > respective "applicabilities") may be found under the "CSS
> > Specifications" part of [4].
> 
> To clarify a bit my position on CSS profiles and why I consider that
> a profile is NOT an umbrella specification.
> 
> How do you answer these questions?
>      - What is CSS 3?
>      - Why CSS 3 is useful to me?
>      - Where can I use CSS 3?
>      - What are the requirements to develop a CSS 3 authoring tools?
> browsers? library?
> 
> 
> For example, I read in the Web community sometimes, people waiting
> for one of the feature of CSS 3 in their browsers, but there's no CSS
> 3 profile for browsers.
> 
> I wonder how a developer will know about the list of profiles
> available for products.
> I wonder how an author will know how to choose CSS 3 properties for
> his/her pages except by reverse deduction of what has been
> implemented in some browsers or a large number of browsers.
> 
> In the current page you gave, it is said
> 
> [[[
> CSS level 3 is under development. It includes all of level 2 and
> extends it with new selectors, fancy borders and backgrounds,
> vertical text, user interaction, speech and much more.
> ]]]
> 
> :) not very informative.
> 
> I go to under development which goes to CSS: under construction
>      http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/current-work
> 
> There's a link in this page to
>      http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-roadmap/
> 
> Which is called "Introduction to CSS 3"
>      Last Published: 23 May 2001
> 
> Abstract:
> [[[
> The members of the CSS&FP Working Group have decided to modularize
> the CSS specification. This modularization will help to clarify the
> relationships between the different parts of the specification, and
> reduce the size of the complete document. It will also allow us to
> build specific tests on a per module basis and will help implementors
> in deciding which portions of CSS to support. Furthermore, the
> modular nature of the specification will make it possible for
> individual modules to be updated as needed, thus allowing for a more
> flexible and timely evolution of the specification as a whole.
> This document lists all the modules to be contained in the future
> CSS3 specification.
> ]]]
> 
> Hmm not quite an introduction but more a roadmap.
> 
> Too bad because it could have been an Umbrella specification giving
> the relationships, the constraints, and a real introduction to the
> technology.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --
> Karl Dubost - http://www.w3.org/People/karl/
> W3C Conformance Manager
> *** Be Strict To Be Cool ***
> 
> 
>

Received on Wednesday, 22 June 2005 19:35:43 UTC