[Bug 14020] New: HTML5+Microdata documents are not conforming HTML5 documents

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=14020

           Summary: HTML5+Microdata documents are not conforming HTML5
                    documents
           Product: Validator
           Version: HEAD
          Platform: All
               URL: http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/infrastructure#other-appl
                    icable-specifications
        OS/Version: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: HTML5
        AssignedTo: mike@w3.org
        ReportedBy: xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no
         QAContact: www-validator-cvs@w3.org
                CC: public-html@w3.org


BACKGROUND: 
   The W3C Validator checks for 'Conforming HTML5 documents" [0a]. Whereas
Validator.nu checks for  'Conforming documents' per the Living Standard [0b]. 

ISSUE: 
   The W3 validator's HTML5 conformance checker service currently does not
discern between conforming HTML5 documents and conforming HTML5+Microdata 
documents - for both of them, the validator emits the same stamp:

   "This document was successfully checked as HTML5!"

   This contradicts with the outcome of the HTMLWG's ISSUE-140 [1][2], after
which HTML5' Extensibility section (see especially 'other applicable
specifications' [3] and onwards]) makes it clear that a document which
implements an applicable spec with HTML5-different semantics, is not a
conforming HTML5 document. Which is exactly the situation we have in the case
of HTML5+Microdata: When Microdata syntax is applied, a group of HTML5-invalid
and HTML5-semantic-free attributes are changed into HTML5+Microdata-valid and
HTML5+Microdata-semantic attributes.

   It is not against the HTML5 spec to perform conformance checking of an
HTML5+Microdata profile - on the contrary. But it is against HTML5 for the
validator to pretend as if documents augmented with Microdata syntax have been
"successfully checked as HTML5" - they have not. It would however be in line
with the spec to state that they have been "successfully checked as
HTML5+Microdata".

   The W3 Validator should be brought in line with the HTML5 spec ASAP. The
borders of the spec  - and its extensibility options, are two sides of the same
coin. 

    I suppose that Validator.w3.org as a minimum must offer pure HTML5
conformance checking. And thus that HTML5+Microdata checking would be an
additional conformance checking service. Howeveer, this bug can formally be
solved in 2  ways: 

1. by starting to stamp HTML+Microdata documents as invalid.
    (This option also cover the possibility to start to offer separate
    conformance checking for HTML5 docs as well as 
    HTML5+Microdata docs.)
2. by halting to offer HTML5 conforance checking - and only offer
    HTML5+Microdata checking

The 1st option seems like the logical one. Given that there is an effort to
join RDFa and Microdata [4], it might also - for the time being, be best to
stamp Microdata as invalid instead of creating a new validation profile. [Which
alludes to a third way to solve this bug: that  microdata/RDFa becomes part of
HTML5.]

[0a] http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/infrastructure#conforming-html5-documents
[0b]
http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/infrastructure.html#conforming-documents
[1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2011Mar/0574#start574
[2] http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=9178
[3] http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/infrastructure#other-applicable-specifications
[4] http://www.w3.org/mid/4E04A795.5020609@arcanedomain.com

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Received on Sunday, 4 September 2011 01:27:55 UTC