Consensus developed 18 November on the following:
- Consider using XML
- Pro and contra points, and detailed guidelines for using XML in
designs well-presented in an excellent IETF BCP Guidelines for the Use
of XML within IETF Protocols, also available in HTML.
- URI Schemes
- When specifying the use of URIs, designers SHOULD NOT constrain the
use of URI schemes.
- Use Namespaces
- XML-based languages for widespread common use MUST be given an XML
namespace name and the elements of the language MUST be placed in that
namespace.
- Unified formatting semantics
- For languages whose contents are intended for visual rendering for
presentation to humans, the repertoire of formatting semantics SHOULD
be consistent across the universe of W3C recommendations.
- Web-scale linking
- When designing a language that includes linking or hypertext
functionality, designers SHOULD design that functionality so it
supports Web-wide rather than merely local linking.
- Media-type registration
- Designers of languages which will be used in resource
representations MUST arrange for the registration of an Internet Media
Type for that language, and SHOULD consider the recommendations of
RFC3203 in carrying out that registration. This registration MUST
include a specification of the handling of fragment identifiers for
resource representations in the language being designed.