Background | Mission | Activities | Participants | Meetings | Archive
Until the end of 1996, most of the specifications related to HTML were elaborated and discussed in a single group, the HTML-ERB. As the workload was too high for a single group, it was decided to create three new, more focussed groups at the beginning of 1997: HTML working group, CSS&FP working group, DOM working group.
It was then felt necessary to create a structure that coordinates the work done in these groups and in some others which address related topics. Hence the Coordination Group, created in April 1997, confirmed by AC ballot in January 1998. The charter of this initial Hypertext CG expired in December 1998. During this period of time, the scope of the group broadened to encompass other activities such as XSL or I18N, not derived from HTML but related to other coordinated groups.
As the work in the coordinated working groups developed and the specifications produced by these groups matured, the need for coordination became stronger and a new charter was submitted to the Advisory Committee in December 1998 to continue the coordination work.
In July 2000, the second charter was extended for another 18 months. The charter has also been updated to take into account the creation of some new groups as well as some changes in existing groups.
In February 2002 the charter was extended again until the end of 2002 without any other change.
In December 2002 it was updated and extended until August 2004.
This Coordination Group seeks to maintain and develop cooperation and consistency between the following Groups:
In addition, the XML Coordination Group and the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Coordination Group maintain liaison with this Coordination Group through the participation of their chairs.
The purpose of this group is to identify technical areas where different working groups may overlap and to coordinate their work. This includes liaison with other organizations such as ISO, the Open Mobile Alliance, and the ATSC.
The group is also the forum where logistics and procedure issues of common interest can be discussed and coordinated. Such issues include:
When appropriate, the Coordination Group may appoint a task force to address a technical issue that impacts several groups. Members of such tasks forces are proposed by the relevant groups and confirmed by the HCG chair.
This coordination group is expected to last through August 2004.
Hypertext CG participants are the chairs of the coordinated groups plus the chairs of other W3C groups that maintain a liaison status with the Hypertext CG. Each chair or liaison may nominate an alternate representative that must be confirmed by the CG chair.
The list of participants is maintained on the group home page.
Face to face meetings are not scheduled on a regular basis, but the group organizes occasional topic-focussed face-to-face meetings when needed and takes the opportunity of such events as the Technical Plenary or WG meetings to meet face to face.
Coordination group members are expected to participate in an electronic mailing list and bi-weekly teleconferences.
The chair maintains a group web page that allows group members to share context and provides W3C membership with access to the proceedings of the group. This page is accessible only by W3C members.
The group maintains a calendar of the most significant events in each coordinated group, such as face-to-face meetings or release of deliverables.
Participants must subscribe to and participate in the w3c-html-cg@w3.org mailing
list, responding to issues in a timely fashion. This list is archived and
reserved to W3C members.
The coordination group holds a bi-weekly one-hour phone conference. Minutes of each teleconference are posted on the Group Home Page. They are accessible only by W3C members.
The chair is responsible for producing an agenda at least 24 hours in advance, and participants are responsible to send regrets to the chair in advance if they chose not to attend.
Before each teleconference, a member of each coordinated group must send to the coordination group a short report on the activity in the working group since the previous teleconference. Representatives of liaison groups must submit references to their most recent available status reports or, in the case of CGs, to the most recent available status reports of the WGs under their direction.
W3C staff provide the working environment for the group. The team maintain the group page as well as the mailing list and its archive. The team organize teleconferences and meetings, take notes and post the minutes for W3C members.