[ANN] Beta test of the W3C Markup Validator (0.7.0 beta 2)

== Beta test for the W3C Markup Validator - version 0.7.0 beta 2 ==

We are starting today a new Beta test period for the W3C 
Markup Validator, version 0.7.0 (Beta 2).

               http://validator.w3.org:8001/

The W3C Markup Validation Service, also known as "HTML validator", is a
popular free service and software providing Web content authors a way to
check their documents against their grammar. The previous stable version
of the tool was released in July 2004, and we hope that this beta test
will lead to a release of a new stable version in the weeks to come.

Note that this will be a short test period, mainly aiming to check
changes made during and after the first beta test period (see below).
Please send your feedback (see below for instructions) on this beta
versions through Thursday, August 4th, 2005.

  **  Changes  **

The new "0.7.0" version brings a number of changes and bug fixes to the
architecture, interface and documentation of the Markup Validator.

Changes since version 0.7.0 beta 1 are listed at
http://validator.w3.org:8001/whatsnew.html#t2005-07-28
and include:
- Improvements in the way the results and errors number is displayed
- Bug fixes:
 * The error number count in results now only counts errors
 * A missing entry in the SGML catalog was added
 * direct input now properly handles cases where no content is set
- Running the validator under mod_perl is no longer supported
- Simplified configuration sample for an installation on the Apache Server
- Documentation updates

Changes between last production version and the previous beta version
are listed at:
http://validator.w3.org:8001/whatsnew.html#t2005-07-12

 **  How to Test  **

In order to make the stable release as successful as possible, the tool
will have to be tested in a variety of conditions by as many people as
possible.

   * Test the new version online

In addition to the usual service, a test instance of the Markup
Validator is available online at the following address:
http://validator.w3.org:8001/

   * Send Feedback

When testing the beta version of the validator, you are invited to look
for, and report, any bug or issue you may encounter. This includes
validation bugs, software errors, User Interface issues, and other
suggestions. Bug reports regarding the recognition of document types are
particularly welcome.

Instructions for feedback are given at:
http://validator.w3.org:8001/feedback.html

It is recommended to read through these instructions, and check the
Mail archives and Bug database, before sending a new bug report to the
publicly archived mailing-list www-validator@w3.org.

   * Install the validator locally

The validator is free software, and it is possible to install it on a
local Web server. Testing whether the latest version install and runs
properly on all systems, and checking that the installation guide is
correct and up to date (see below) would be valuable. People already
maintaining a local instance of the validator are especially invited 
to install and test the beta version.

A tarball of the latest version of the validator, as well as the
catalogue of grammars it uses, are available:

http://validator.w3.org/dist/validator-0_7_0b2.tar.gz
http://validator.w3.org/dist/sgml-lib-0_7_0b2.tar.gz

The installation guide is online, and distributed with the software:
http://validator.w3.org:8001/docs/install.html

  * Spread the word

As mentioned earlier, getting a high number of people to participate
to this beta test would help make it a success. If you are part of
a community of Web designers, developers, or other types of users
of the W3C Markup Validator, you may want to invite others in these
communities to participate, too. Please refer to this announcement on
the www-validator mailing-list:
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-validator/2005Jul/0134.html


  **  Thank you  **

Thanks, again and again, to the qa-dev volunteers, to the user community
on the www-validator mailing-list, and to the folks on the #validator
IRC channel. Special thanks go to all the people who tested the last Beta
version and sent excellent feedback.

olivier
-- 
olivier Thereaux - W3C / QA / Tools

Received on Thursday, 28 July 2005 07:40:26 UTC