ClearSpec updates
March 2022
Marcos Cáceres, Philippe Le Hégaret
ClearSpec Goals
-
Help our community to differentiate among documents produced by W3C
Groups
-
Establish W3C Recommendations as the sole
W3C Web standards
-
Document and inform about the level of adoption of various documents,
including our standards.
5 projects
- Incubation Challenge
- Level of adoption
- W3C Recommendations as W3C Standards
- Better referencing of editor's drafts
- Nomenclature and Naming
Document Clarifications (#1, #3, #5)
https://www.w3.org/standards/types
| Type |
Standard Track |
Patent Policy |
Implementations |
Endorsed by W3C |
| CG/BG Report |
No |
Partial |
Varies |
No |
| Submission |
No |
See document |
Varies |
No |
| Editor's Draft |
No |
No |
Varies |
No |
| Draft Notes |
No |
No |
Varies |
No |
| Notes |
No |
No |
Varies |
No |
| Statements |
No |
No |
N/A |
Yes |
| Draft Registries |
No |
No |
N/A |
No |
| Candidate Registries |
No |
No |
N/A |
No |
| Registries |
No |
No |
N/A |
Yes |
| Working Draft |
Yes |
Not yet |
Varies |
No |
| Candidate Recommendations |
Yes |
Varies |
Varies |
No |
| Proposed Recommendations |
Yes |
Yes |
Varies |
No |
| Recommendations |
Yes |
Yes |
Varies |
Yes |
#2: Level of adoption
Document and inform about the level of adoption of various documents
-
Refine metrics: implementation, intent to implement, community
adoption, standard track
- Display the metrics in W3C documents
-
Create general report on the level of adoption of W3C specifications
-
Establish Group guidance on how to increase implementation experience
Everyone has different requirements...
Use cases
- Entering at top of spec (e.g., Google search).
-
Entering to some part of the spec (e.g., MDN, link from another
spec).
Audiences
- Web Developers
- Implementers
- Other specification writers/collaborators
- General public
Current solutions - Caniuse
Current solution - MDN boxes
Current solution - Web Platform Test results
Caniuse - showing data from caniuse.com
Pros
- Targeted at Web Developers
- Backed by MDN data.
Cons
- "support" is sometimes subjective.
- Data is not always backed by Web Platform Test data.
- Not super useful for implementers.
MDN boxes
Pros
- Fit for purpose.
- Convey fine grained support.
Cons
- Convey fine grained support.
- Are for specific parts of a spec.
Web Platform Test Results
Pros
- Reflects what's tested in spec
- Targeted at spec authors and implementers
Cons
- Confusing for web developers
- Limited! Doesn't cover mobile devices
Full MDN compat tables
Optimal solution looks like MDN's solution:
Challenges
- Very "browser" specific.
- Convey a lot of information in a limited space.
- Static (TR documents) vs dynamic (compat) data.
- Could benefit from assistance from a professional visual designer.