Normative References

TPAC 2013

November 13, 2013
Ralph Swick, Philippe Le Hégaret
for the W3C Director

swick@w3.org and plh@w3.org

Motivation

From transition requirements :

Evidence that dependencies with other groups met (or not)

  • Does this specification have any normative references to W3C specifications that are not yet Proposed Recommendations? Note: In general, documents do not advance to Recommendation with normative references to W3C specifications that are not yet Recommendations.
  • Is there evidence that additional dependencies related to implementation have been satisfied?

When?

Purpose

  • Address borderline cases of normative references:
    • Not produced by an established standard
    • Has licensing restrictions incompatible with W3C RF policy
  • 3 factors: stability, schedule, and licensing

To keep in mind

  • No single factor is decisive
  • Director may consider other factors
  • This is NOT a checklist, only a set of considerations
  • This does not address how to reference a W3C document.

Stability

  • Who produced the document?
  • What is the stability of the referenced document as a whole?
  • What is the stability of the referenced part(s)?
  • What is the nature of the dependency on the referenced part(s)?
  • What is the status of the implementation of the referenced part(s)?

Schedule

  • What opportunities will be missed if we postpone?
  • What would be the costs of delaying?

Licensing

W3C seeks to issue Recommendations that can be implemented on a RF basis.

  • Are the referenced technologies available under RF?
  • Are there risks?
  • Is there an open exclusion opportunity at W3C?

Questions?

http://www.w3.org/2013/09/normative-references