Variability in Specification

Hi Dave, QA WG,

There is still work to do on "Variability in Specification"[1] .  
Three sections need to be created or polished.


* "4.2 Specification Umbrella"[2]

     The section has been completed last week before the publication.  
But I guess it deserves more work with more examples, illustration  
the issues.
     Potential Contributors: Dave, Dom, Karl, Lynne

* "Specification category"[3]


ISSUE: needs to explain the different categories, how to actually  
make a specification category analysis

[[[

"Specification Category" -- this is under-specified.  I.e., it is   
difficult to understand both the explanations of the different  
categories  (they each need at least a sentence of definition/ 
discussion), and how this is critical to variability analysis.  I  
myself would have difficulty writing a Spec. Cat. analysis based on  
this.  We should develop the section better, or remove it.  For now,  
maybe "green flag" it to indicate that we think it needs attention.
]]] - Specification categories unspecified - Lofton Henderson [4]


   *"6. Optional features"[5]
ISSUE: needs to address discretionary items, and more largely, the  
remaining DoV.


[[[
I think WCAG should be the primary example for functional levels,  
with DOM and/or CSS as secondary examples.

I think there should be some mention of Discretionary Items, such as  
the treatment that Mark mailed in, so that you can then say that  
modules are not the same. A module is a larger functional package,  
and the variability question for an implementer is whether to  
implement or not. A discretionary item is a decision point where the  
implementer chooses how to deal with a situation which they must  
address.
]]] - Address discretionary items - Dave Marston [6]

Dom replied
[[[
I agree with you that there should be something about discretionary  
items in this document; however it won't make it for this  
publication; I've flagged an issue on this in the document; more  
largely, I think we should address the theoretical aspects of each  
DoV in it.
]]] - theoritical aspects of *each*  DOV - Dom [7]



[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/2005/WD-spec-variability-20050428/
[2] http://www.w3.org/TR/2005/WD-spec-variability-20050428/#umbrella
[3] http://www.w3.org/TR/2005/WD-spec-variability-20050428/#spec-cat
[4] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-qa-wg/2004Aug/0127.html
[5] http://www.w3.org/TR/2005/WD-spec-variability-20050428/#optionality
[6] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-qa-wg/2004Aug/att-0120/00- 
part
[7] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-qa-wg/2004Aug/0132.html

-- 
Karl