Open Web Platform Weekly Summary - 2011-03-21 - 2011-03-27

This is the 4th edition of our weekly summary about the Open Web Platform. The intent is to give an overview of the discussions, proposals, decisions which have happened during the last week around HTML5 and sometimes more broadly the Open Web Platform. This weekly summary covers events in multiple W3C groups, and some outside events as well. Feel free to chime in the comments and add information or ask for more details.

As Shelley Powers mentionned this week was quite quiet, but there were a couple of decisions. A few new drafts and proposals and an interesting discussions about Web applications caching systems. The debate around longdesc attribute is far to be finished.

HTML Working Group Decisions

backslashes processing in Content Type headers - ISSUE-126

Should HTML5 specification require backslashes to be processed as escapes in Content-Type headers in <meta> elements? It has been decided to keep the specification as it is currently. Some Web client implementers noticed that they intended to change the parsing accordingly to the specification and what other user agents are doing.

Microdata usability study - ISSUE-139

Should the microdata usability study be placed in the HTML5 or the Microdata specifications? This is a minor issue which has been solved by moving a sentence from HTML5 specification to Microdata specification.

Conforming document - ISSUE-140

The term “conforming document” and how it is used by other specifications has been an issue. The issues surrounding conformance are not totally solved and needs better bug reports. In the meantime, the WG has decided to adopt for this specific issue: “Conformance terminology when applicable specifications are used”.

Conversations

Proposals

• Have a single API for caret positioning and focus ring support designed in such a way that authors will actually use it. related to ISSUE-131
• Sean Hayes (Microsoft) sent a Change proposal for ISSUE-152 about the handling of text tracks unified with the handling of media tracks. Sylvia Pfeiffer also sent a Change Proposal

Announcements

• caret issue straw poll open until March 31
• There will be discussions about rel values ownership at the IETF meeting in Prague.
• Paul Cotton has asked if anyone objects to do a new round of publishing.
• There was also a request to publish HTML to Platform Accessibility APIs Implementation Guide as 1st Working Draft.
• A new draft of W3C widgets specification has been published.

Hot Topics

• The discussion around longdesc is boiling.
• Louis-Rémi Babe (Mozilla intern) is asking about Offline Web Applications status. He is mentionning that developers seem to not understand caching system for Web applications. It led Art Barstow to ask if there was an overview of all existing cache systems.
• Ehsan Akhgari is asking about selection.modify behavior across platforms
• and Nicholas Zakas about why @scoped is required for <style> as flow content?

This column is written by Karl Dubost, working in the Developer Relations & Tools at Opera Software.