23753 2013-11-07 08:31:50 +0000 A more informative message for “obsolete permitted DOCTYPE” 2013-11-07 08:31:50 +0000 1 1 1 Unclassified HTML Checker General unspecified PC All NEW http://www.w3.org/html/wg/drafts/html/master/syntax.html#obsolete-permitted-doctype-string P2 major --- 1 xn--mlform-iua mike+validator mike xn--mlform-iua www-validator-cvs oldest_to_newest 95936 0 xn--mlform-iua 2013-11-07 08:31:50 +0000 Most obsolete features are errors. The warning message for obsolete permitted doctypes thus makes you wonder why it is a warning - and not an error:t “Warning: Obsolete doctype. Expected <!DOCTYPE html>.“ For contrast, the error message for the XHTML 1.0 Transitional doctype (which, btw, is an obsolete doctype too despite that the word is not used(!)), hints to the user that the doctype is an error because it *is not* a strict doctype: “Error: Almost standards mode doctype. Expected <!DOCTYPE html>” Example of a new text for obsolete permitted doctypes: ”Warning: An excessively long, no-quirks/strict standards mode DOCTYPE. Expected <!DOCTYPE html>” ('excessively long' is taken from the spec). This example a) uses spec language, b) hints to user *why* it is warned for but permitted: because it is a strict mode doctype. May be the wording'obsolete permitted DOCTYPE' should be worked into the message as well - not sure it is needed though. May be it is better to follow the pattern for the almost standard mode message, where 'obsolete' is not used.