HTML WG Update
TPAC 2011
3 November 2011
Santa Clara, CA
Six months ago, twelve months ago
The two most recent HTML WG updates presented to the AC focused on
schedules and strategies for getting the HTML5 spec to Last Call:
Progress: Last Call milestone reached
Five other LCWDs published in May
Five other HTML WG deliverables went to Last Call along with the HTML5 spec:
Non-LC deliverables published in May
The HTML WG also maintains the following three non-normative
documents, and published updates of them in May along with the LCWDs.
“HTML5: Edition for Web Authors” FPWD
In August, the HTML WG also published a First Public Working draft of
the document
HTML5:
Edition for Web Authors.
- auto-generated subset of the full HTML5 specification
- not for user-agent implementors (omits UA implementation details)
- targeted toward Web authors and Web developers
- normatively defines just the syntax and semantics of the HTML language
- useful to anyone who just wants requirements on how to create or
produce valid HTML documents (not how to consume or
process such documents)
Last Call numbers: Bugs/Comments
- 1550+ Last Call comments.
For this Last Call round (
LC1), the group received* about
1550 comments
on the HTML5 spec (spec “bugs”)
- More that 80% of comments already resolved. Of those ~1550
HTML5 Last-Call spec bugs, more than 80% (almost 1300) have already
received a resolution from the HTML5 spec editor (Ian Hickson).
- Less than 20% (about 280) of the Last Call spec bugs/comments for the
HTML5 spec are still awaiting resolution by the editor.
* Note: The 1550 LC1 bugs also include bugs that were
filed after October 2010 but before the May 2011 LC1 start date.
Post-LC1 numbers: Bugs/Comments
These numbers are for the HTML5 spec only.
- So far since the close of the
LC1 round, the group
has received almost
300 bugs/comments
on the HTML5 spec
- Of those ~300 HTML5 spec bugs, more than 80% (around 250) have already
received a resolution from the HTML5 spec editor (Ian Hickson).
- Less than 20% (about 50) of the remaining post-LC1 bugs/comments for
the HTML5 spec are still awaiting resolution by the editor.
Last Call numbers: Issues
- “Bug” vs “Issue”. HTML WG editors are responsible for
resolving bugs; anyone disagreeing with a bug
resolution can “escalate” it into a WG issue.
- Chairs resolve issues. The HTML WG chairs have responsibility
for resolving all HTML WG issues, using the HTML WG
Decision Policy.
- 13 open issues. WG now has
13 open issues
awaiting resolution by chairs.
- Chairs act as a kind of court of appeals: collect
change proposals from WG members, evaluate those,
adjudicate a decision on behalf of the WG.
“New Information” issues
- 11 closed issues flagged as “awaiting new information”.
(10
against the HTML5 spec, one against the HTML+RDFa spec).
- Those 11 issues have previously been resolved/closed by the chairs
already, but members of the group have since asserted that they plan
to provide new information that chairs have not considered yet.
- Issues may be reopened. If/when new information is
provided for any issue, chairs evaluate the info and
decide whether to reopen it.
- If an issue is reopened, it cycles back through the steps defined in
the HTML WG
Decision Policy
document.
Formal objections
- 9 open formal objections.
(4
for the HTML5 spec, 5 for other specs; relate to text
alternatives, RDFa, polyglot spec, ARIA, video poster, more).
- There is some overlap between the list of formal objections and the
list of “awaiting new information” issues.
- Formal objections may decrease. The number
of formal objections may decrease if/when chairs reopen
any “awaiting new information” issues—and if chairs end up
making a different decision about any of them.
- Director’s decision. Issues that remain in
“formal objection” state will require a decision from the
Director in order to be finally resolved.
Deadlines for moving beyond LC1
The chairs
announced
a timeline for moving beyond LC1.
31 Dec 2011. Editors must have all LC1 bugs resolved.14 Jan 2012. WG members last chance* to escalate any resolved bugs to issues.11 Feb 2012. WG members last chance* submit change proposals for open issues.10 Mar 2012. WG members last chance* to submit counter-proposals for issues.07 Apr 2012. Chairs must have all issues resolved (must have all decisions made).21 Apr 2012. Chairs announce resolution to go to the next step.
* Note: last chance = “last chance to complete actions
for this round”; any actions taken after the above dates result in
consideration being postponed until later.
Next step: HTML5 CR in 2012?
The HTML WG is scheduled to publish a Candidate Recommendation of
the HTML5 spec in mid- to late-2012.
Some spec changes in the last 12 months
- new bdi
element (embedding user-generated content of unknown directionality);
important for internationalization
- new track
element (timed text tracks; e.g., captions); important for making video
content accessible
- new mediagroup
attribute (synchronized playback of mult-track video/audio); important for making video
content accessible
Some possible HTML.next features
- <dialog> element, for modal and non-modal dialog boxes
inputmode attribute for <input> elements- <datagrid> element, for marking up interactive data/tables (e.g., spreadsheets)
- playback stats for media elements:
decodedFrames, droppedFrames,
- extend
media.canPlayType("video/foo") ?
- add a
media.playLater() ?
- sufficient API support for in-band tracks, live content?
HTML5 spec license discussion
- PSIG proposed three candidate licenses for HTML5
- HTML WG surveyed, did not support any of the PSIG-proposed licenses
- W3C management has not further pursued any of the PSIG-proposed licenses
- In a separate decision, permissive licenses are now available in Community Groups
