ISSUE-223: Various Items to Consider for the CT Guidelines

Jo's CT Shopping List

Various Items to Consider for the CT Guidelines

State:

CLOSED

Product:

Guidelines for Web Content Transformation Proxies

Raised by:

Jo Rabin

Opened on:

2007-10-03

Description:

In the process of editing the CT Problem Statement I have been musing on various things - some, but not all, of them are already suggested by the Problem Statement. If there is any desire to discuss these, it may be better to create individual ISSUEs for those that people choose to discuss.

1. Under what circumstances do user's intentions and choices override author's intentions and choices, and vice versa.

2. How should users signal their choices - if they user has a choice of browser settings how should the browser communicate those settings, expecially the "render as mobile" vs "render as desktop options".

3. What assumptions are legitimate for the owner of a transcoding proxy to make about the default experience.

4. To what extent should the Guidelines talk about HOW transformation is carried out? Do we think that this altogether an area for proprietary differentiation or do we comment on good and bad techniques? Should we, for example, comment on preserving document order, taking into account absolute positioning? Do we think that servers should add clues as to how to paginate and so on? Is this stepping into the land of UWA and DIAL? What repertoire of processing instructions do we anticipate that proxies are able to act on - do we think that they will understand and interpret XSLTransform intended for client side transformation, for example? A better example would be scripting. What about flash?

Is there a vocabulary of functions that a transforming proxy might offer and that a user or origin server might select: e.g. pagination, linearization. image resizing ...


5. To what extent is it permissible for a transforming proxy to step in and correct invalid syntax, even if the origin server says not to transform its content? Is there a difference between "no-transform" - i.e. don't mess with my content even if it is wrong and "no-trasnform-but-tidy-allowed".

6. Testing

As things stand, you can only test the operation of your server in tandem with some transforming proxy by having someone access your Web site from the coverage area of a network that implements that version of the proxy. We should make strong noises about the desirability of making testing practical for content developers. Given that operators/proxy providers were willing to do this, what infrastructure would be needed to facilitate it? i.e. how would you find out about the test facilities and so on?

7. Is there a question here about identifying which DDR the components get their information from, as if you think a proxy is using a deluxe chrome plated one, you might be more inclined to trust it than if you think it is using a nasty plywood one.

8. Do we expect transforming proxies to be aware of DPE servers and the like and should we say so?

9. What part does the mysterious HTTP 300 status play in all this? Where does it fit in with helping origin servers and proxies provide information about alternative representations (with link rel = or something else, to enumerate options). How does this fit in with allowing the user to select their choice as well as helping provide a reasonable default exprience.

10. Do we think that transforming proxies should be able to comply with mobileOK Basic 1.0?

11. To what extent do proxies need to be powder aware and powders need to be proxy aware? Is powder a sensible mechanism for identifying alternative representations, and the author's intent in creating them?

12. If something is mobileOK, does that mean it is not open to transformation?

Related Actions Items:

• ACTION-779 on Jo Rabin to Transcribe points 7 8 9 and 11 of ISSUE-223 into Scope for future work - due 2008-06-23, closed

Related emails:

1. Content Transformation Guidelines 1m (Rev 13) nearly now all 'ship shape and Bristol fashion' (from jrabin@mtld.mobi on 2008-07-22)
2. Content Transformation Guidelines 1m (Rev 13) [was Re: Content Transformation Guidelines 1l (Rev 12) and Change List] (from jrabin@mtld.mobi on 2008-07-22)
3. RE: Content Transformation Guidelines 1l (Rev 12) and Change List (from SPatterson@Novarra.com on 2008-07-18)
4. [minutes] CT Call Tuesday 15 July 2008 (from fd@w3.org on 2008-07-15)
5. RE: [agenda] CT Call Tuesday 15 July 2008 (from Rob.Finean@openwave.com on 2008-07-15)
6. [agenda] CT Call Tuesday 15 July 2008 (from fd@w3.org on 2008-07-15)
7. Content Transformation Guidelines 1l (Rev 12) and Change List (from jrabin@mtld.mobi on 2008-07-11)
8. [minutes] BPWG F2F in Sophia, day 1 (from fd@w3.org on 2008-06-17)
9. Content Transformation Guidelines - preparation for the F2F (from fd@w3.org on 2008-06-13)
10. Re: [agenda] CT Call Tuesday 10 June 2008 (from fd@w3.org on 2008-06-10)
11. [agenda] CT Teleconference Tuesday 11 March 2008 (from fd@w3.org on 2008-03-10)
12. Seoul BPWG F2F - report (from fd@w3.org on 2008-03-09)
13. [minutes] Seoul F2F Day 2 - Tuesday 4 March 2008 (from fd@w3.org on 2008-03-04)
14. [minutes] Minutes of the Content Transformation Task Force, 2007-11-20 (from jrabin@mtld.mobi on 2007-11-20)
15. ACTION-581 Promote discussion on list, and produce editor's draft of Guidelines (from jrabin@mtld.mobi on 2007-11-19)
16. FW: ISSUE-223 (Jo's CT Shopping List): Various Items to Consider for the CT Guidelines [Content Transformation Guidelines] (from jrabin@mtld.mobi on 2007-10-03)
17. ISSUE-223 (Jo's CT Shopping List): Various Items to Consider for the CT Guidelines [Content Transformation Guidelines] (from sysbot+tracker@w3.org on 2007-10-03)

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