W3C Invites Broad Review of HTML5

By SD Times Newswire

W3C today called for broad review of HTML5 and five related specifications that constitute the foundation of W3C’s Open Web Platform. At the heart of this platform, HTML5 offers powerful tools for creating Web-based applications that will run on any device. Due to the significant impact of this technology on industry and society, W3C is actively seeking feedback at this phase of the standards process.

“We’re seeing interest in HTML5 everywhere, and I am very excited that HTML5 has reached Last Call,” said Philippe Le Hégaret, the W3C manager responsible for HTML5, CSS, SVG, WOFF, and other user interaction technologies. “The HTML Working Group is W3C’s largest group with over 50 W3C Members and more than 200 invited experts. Reaching agreements in this large a community is a tremendous achievement.”

The W3C HTML Working Group invites broad review through 3 August, in particular on the priority open issues that are listed at the beginning of each document. The W3C HTML Working Group also invites contributions to the growing HTML test suite, an important instrument for achieving interoperability.

W3C also reconfirmed today that, as announced, these specifications are on track to become stable standards in 2014.

Broad Review to Help Resolve Outstanding Issues

By issuing a Last Call announcement, the HTML Working Group encourages people to comment on the extent to which they believe that technical requirements have been met and significant dependencies with groups inside and outside W3C have been satisfied. In September 2010, the HTML Working Group Chairs announced a plan and schedule to reach Last Call. Their plan included mechanisms to balance the community’s desire for timely completion with the need to give all issues due consideration. The HTML Working Group has resolved forty issues since October 2010, but a number of decisions—including several related to accessibility—remain to be addressed during this phase of the standards process.

“We now invite new voices to let us know whether these specifications address a broad set of needs,” said Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director. “This process for resolving dependencies with other groups is a central part of our mission of ensuring the Web is well-designed, including being available to all. W3C staff will provide the HTML Working Group the support it needs to move forward, and to ensure that the specification meets W3C’s commitments in areas such as accessibility, internationalization, security, and privacy.

The HTML Working Group Chairs have published a timeline for Last Call through the next transition. More information can be found in a FAQ for the HTML5 Last Call.

Providing Feedback to the HTML Working Group

To provide feedback on any of the specifications published as Last Call Working Drafts, please see the instructions in the status section of each document:

• HTML5
• HTML+RDFa 1.1
• HTML Microdata
• HTML Canvas 2D Context
• Polyglot Markup: HTML-Compatible XHTML Documents
• HTML5: Techniques for providing useful text alternatives

The HTML Working Group published three additional documents today (not as Last Call drafts):

• HTML: The Markup Language Reference
• HTML5 diffs from HTML4
• HTML to Platform Accessibility APIs Implementation Guide