[Bug 23753] New: A more informative message for “obsolete permitted DOCTYPE”

https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=23753

            Bug ID: 23753
           Summary: A more informative message for “obsolete permitted
                    DOCTYPE”
           Product: Validator (Nu)
           Version: unspecified
          Hardware: PC
               URL: http://www.w3.org/html/wg/drafts/html/master/syntax.ht
                    ml#obsolete-permitted-doctype-string
                OS: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: major
          Priority: P2
         Component: General
          Assignee: mike+validator@w3.org
          Reporter: xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no
        QA Contact: www-validator-cvs@w3.org
                CC: mike@w3.org, xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no

Most obsolete features are errors. The warning message for obsolete permitted
doctypes thus makes you wonder why it is a warning - and not an error:t

   “Warning: Obsolete doctype.
    Expected <!DOCTYPE html>.“

For contrast, the error message for the XHTML 1.0 Transitional doctype (which,
btw, is an obsolete doctype too despite that the word is not used(!)), hints to
the user that the doctype is an error because it *is not* a strict doctype:

   “Error: Almost standards mode doctype.
    Expected <!DOCTYPE html>”

Example of a new text for obsolete permitted doctypes:

   ”Warning: An excessively long, no-quirks/strict standards mode DOCTYPE.
    Expected <!DOCTYPE html>”

('excessively long' is taken from the spec). This example 
  a) uses spec language, 
  b) hints to user *why* it is warned for but permitted:
     because it is a strict mode doctype. 

May be the wording'obsolete permitted DOCTYPE' should be worked into the
message as well - not sure it is needed though. May be it is better to follow
the pattern for the almost standard mode message, where 'obsolete' is not used.

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Received on Thursday, 7 November 2013 08:31:51 UTC