Summary of the REC Track
Scope
- W3C Recommendation Track documents
- Out of Scope: other documents (e.g. member / team submissions)
- Out of Scope: other aspects of the W3C process
Steps towards Recommendation (including Maturity Levels)
- First Public Working Draft (Working Draft)
- Last Call announcement (Working Draft)
- Call for implementation (Candidate Recommendation)
- Call for review of a proposed recommendation (Proposed Recommendation)
- Publication of a W3C Recommendation (REC)
Key concept: Consensus
- Given if there is no "formal objection"
- "Formal objection":
- Requests director's decision
- Requestor should give technical arguments / propose changes to remove the formal objection
- Decision making within Working Group (WG): by participants in "good standing"
How to formally address an Issue
- WG sends a public response to the reviewer, including a rationale for the decision and a time limit for acknowledgment by a reviewer
- WG maintains a record of all substantive issues
- Substantive changes to the document during last call / Candidate recommendation: WG must go back to Working Draft level!
First Public Working Draft (WD)
- Maturity level: Working Draft (WD)
- Entrance Criteria: WG transition request, director's approval
- Purpose: Gather general review feedback
Last Call announcement
- Maturity level: WD
- Entrance Criteria: WG believes that technical requirements and dependencies with other groups are satisfied
- Purpose: Gather feedback for minor, i.e. no substantive changes
- Review period: at least three weeks
Call for Implementation (1)
- Maturity level: Candidate Recommendation (CR)
- Entrance Criteria: document has been widely reviewed, requirements, dependencies and reviewers are satisfied
- "reviewers are satisfied": all last call comments have been formally addressed
- Purpose: gather implementation experience
Call for Implementation (2)
- "Features at risk" may be identified with call for implementation
- Reviewers can make a formal objection against removing the features
- Substantive Changes during CR (e.g. removing other features): WG must go back to Working Draft!
Proposed Recommendation (PR)
- Entrance Criteria: two interoperable implementations of each feature; satisfaction of other announced entrance criteria
- Purpose: Get endorsement from the Advisory Committee
- Duration: at least four weeks
W3C Recommendation (REC)
- Entrance Criteria: significant support from the Advisory Committee, the team, W3C Working Groups, the public
- Omitted here: life after REC (e.g. errata work)
Patent Policy: Call for Exclusions
- 150 days after publication of first WD
- All Last Call documents: call for exclusion 90 days after pub, only regarding the diff from previous call for exclusion
