Managing Errata

From W3C Wiki

The W3C Process requires that groups track errata for Recommendations they publish.

Best practices where to track errata

The current best practice seems to be using a Github Repository, so the errata are tracked in the issue list just as any other issue.

In general, there are other tools groups might use - a plain web page used to be the common way many years ago, but there are also bugzilla and tracker lists.

It is highly desirable that the document contain explicit links to describe (a) how an erratum is reported and (b) how to find all unresolved errata. Emails to the group mailing list are no longer considered best practice for (a) as there is no easy way to automate the reporting in (b).

It is helpful to point to latest Editors' Drafts as well as the latest "stable version", where these are available, so people can see what the resolutions look like incorporated into the specification.

Best practices on frequency and culture

The web technology is very dynamic which causes a need to update the errata page. Moreover, in the complex architecture supported today, it is quite usual that errors arise - both simple typographical errors as well as complex errors in technology. Accordingly it is vital that Working Groups establish a regular pattern to look at issues; talk to implementors; and update specifications and errata pages. This is especially important given the large number of people that are actively implementing from the specifications.

The Chairs of the Working Groups - when they set up the general organization of their group - should make sure that there are regular opportunities for input to errata pages and review the material. The Process document suggests this should be at least quarterly, effectively for specifications that are not otherwise in development.

See also the Process document section 6.7 on modifying Recommendations. A rough summary is that simple editorial changes and clarifications are quite simple, adding new features requires producing a new version, and intermediary changes can be done with an intermediate degree of difficulty…

Existing Group Practices

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Specific working groups and their errata gathering / reporting / publishing practices:

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