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HTML Working Group

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The HTML Working Group is a working group originally created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in 1997.

The working group is co-chaired by Paul Cotton, Sam Ruby, and Maciej Stachowiak.

Members

Members of the HTML Working Group include representatives from the following organizations:

W3C has also invited several experts to collaborate with the working group including:

Internal working system

The HTMLWG has members from a diverse community such as content provider, content authors and anyone interested in the work on HTML.

Exchange ideas and solve problems

In the HTML5 WG, members can make suggestions and ask for helps. If the team cannot come to an agreement on some ideas, they would be submitted to the Chief Editor to decide. Members have right to elect a new Chief Editor. After the last one Ian Hickson resigned, this job is undertaken by several persons, each of whom is in charge of different areas.

Participation

To participate in the group, the steps involve having a W3C account and filling out a form for copyright, content etc. policies. Steps are different for people working for W3C memeber organisation and those who not. [1]

Communication methods

  • Mailing lists (used to organize activities such as task-force discussions and working-group administrative purposes)
  • HTML-WG Channel (for weekly telcons and informal discussions)

Meetings

  • Weekly telcons (On Thursday and Tuesday)
  • Face-to-face (twice a year, and the latest one was held in San Jose, on April 8-9, 2014)[2]

Members are not compulsory to reply all the emails and attend every meeting.

History

Change in working direction

In 1999, W3C released HTML 4.01 and then stopped continuing the evolution of HTML, as the W3C's HTMLWG announced it would change their direction to exploitation of XML-based version of HTML (named XHTML 2.0), which has a stricter standard.

The traditional version of HTML allowed uncertainties in code review, which means even there are some mistakes in the web pages, browser will still display the contents through error detection and correction. "Nowadays, there would be at least one mistake existing in over 99% HTML web pages. " estimated by the Google senior programmer Mark Pilgrim. [3]

W3C' HTMLWG hoped to boost a more regulated development of the future of the Internet through rigorous standards. While the popularization and application of XHTML had not received many responses from the public.

Collaboration

In 2004, Mozilla and Opera put forward a plan based on HTML 4, as they wanted to continue the evolution of HTML. The plan was not passed. Then they decided to form WHATWG, in order to pursue the future of HTML along with W3C’S HTMLWG but in different direction.[3]

In 2006, WHATWG made a breakthrough while XHTML 2.0 was still impractical. As a result, Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of W3C announced that the W3C’S HTMLWG would stop to jointly develop HTML5 with WHATWG. Ian Hickson was responsible for both editing the two groups' specifications. [4]

In October 2009, W3C dismissed the XTML 2 group.

Split

In July 2012, W3C’s HTMLWG and WHATWG are officially parting ways about the working on HTML5. WHATWG takes a charge of evolving of HTML5 and W3C works on a more static "snapshot". Therefore, there will be two versions of HTML5 - one is "living standard and the other one is "snapshot". The split between two bodies was due to the conflicts on ideas.[5]

Regarding to fears of this split from the public, the head of WHATWG, Ian Hickson said the split would not be as harmful as people thought. "It’s certainly possible that the specs will fork, but it’s unlikely, or at least, unlikely to happen in a way that is harmful." In his opinion, possible conflicts will lead to a more precise standard. And "Browser vendors will just know to use the more precise one."[6]

Differences between WHATWG and HTMLWG

WHATWG expects to maintain a living standard and stop using version numbers. W3C’s HTMLWG leaves the WHATWG spec in order to stick producing snapshots that provide implementors (like browser makers and web developers) with a stable, solid spec. Because the W3C version has more regulations (known as P3P) for implementation, by proving interoperability, it works much more slowly than the WHATWG. On the other hand, however, it ensures the accuracy and stability.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ "How YOU can join the W3C HTML5 Working Group in 4 easy steps". the paciello group. Steve Faulkner. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  2. ^ "html working group". w3c.
  3. ^ a b Guan, Wang. "HTML5：正在发生的未来". China Economic Herald. IT经理世界. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  4. ^ "The Difference Between the WHATWG and the HTMLWG". webmonkey.
  5. ^ "HTML is the new HTML5". the WHATWG blog. Ian Hickson. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  6. ^ "W3C and WHATWG finalize split on HTML5 spec, forking 'unlikely'". The Verge. Jeff Blagdon. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  7. ^ "HTML5 Work Splits Into 'Living' And 'Snapshot' Standards. Developers Need Not Worry, Says Living Standard Leader". techcrunch. Ingrid Lunden (@ingridlunden). Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  8. ^ "HTML5 Definition Complete, W3C Moves to Interoperability Testing and Performance". semanticweb. Eric Franzon. Retrieved 17 December 2012.


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[1]

  1. ^ [Steve Faulkner "123"]. 223. 334. Retrieved 19 October 2014. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
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