Re: ISSUE-76: Need feedback on splitting Microdata into separate specification

Julian Reschke, Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:09:08 +0100:
> Tab Atkins Jr. wrote:
>> I have updated the counter-proposal located on the ESW Wiki at
>> http://esw.w3.org/topic/HTML/ChangeProposals/KeepMicrodata .
>> 
>> ~TJ
> 
> "If Microdata were to be split from the HTML spec, it is possible 
> that control of it would move to a separate working group, which 
> would move part of HTML's development out of the hands of the working 
> group chartered to develop HTML."
> 
> How so, without the HTML WG agreeing to that?

It seems like the above warning is only a variant of the second point 
of that list: 

"A spec that is designed within HTML5 and one designed outside of it 
are qualitatively different (see Conway's Law)"

Which seems like a misapplication of Conway's Law. Conway's Law is 
meant as: [1]

]] a valid sociological observation. It follows from the reasoning that 
two software modules A and B cannot interface correctly with each other 
unless the designer and implementer of A communicates with the designer 
and implementer of B. Thus the interface structure of a software system 
as a consequence will show a congruence with the social structure of 
the organization that produced it. [[

But Microdata is *already* being designed by only a half or a third of 
the group, despite that it is placed inside the same spec. This split 
will be/is already reflected in the design.  In that sense, Conway's 
law already applies.

Secondly, only if two *different* groups designs their own - intended 
to be - compatible systems would there be incompatibilities. Thus, as 
long as Microdata, even after a split from the HTML 5 spec, _still_ is 
designed by the same (subgroup of the) HTML working group, it doesn't 
matter w.r.t. Conway's law whether the text is placed in another text 
or not, as long as it is the same group that develop it. Thus, Conway's 
doesn't apply.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway's_Law 
-- 
leif halvard sillli

Received on Thursday, 10 December 2009 13:59:39 UTC