Re: [trans-ws] XHTML version of Trans WS

[Robin Cover <robin@oasis-open.org>]

On Sat, 16 Jul 2005, Andrzej Zydron wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
> 
> Please find attached the XHTML version of the spec document. I have 
> applied the OASIS style sheet to the document, but I think that the 
> XLIFF one works much better as regards code fragments etc.

Hi Andrzej.  Nice to see that you have used XHTML, per the
encouragement from Mary McRae:

   "I'm thrilled to hear that Trans WS wants to use XHTML to produce
   their specifications!" [1]

> 
> To meet the full OASIS spec requirements as suggested by Robin Cover 
> will entail quite a bit more work over and above what we already have.

Clarification: my posting [2] does not (intend to) add any new
requirements to the official ones, which can be clarified by Mary McRae
or by David Petraitis. [3]

My message says three things:

1) Please take time to participate in the OASIS member review of the
   draft "Artifact Identification Requirements" (AIR) document which was
   prepared by the OASIS TAB and is open for comment through
   July 27, 2005. [4]  Note that these requirements for artifact
   identification are not "official" in any way: the document is
   just a draft proposal for Member review.

2) I support your decision to use XHTML in your spec work, even
   though the OASIS TC Process document [5] at the present time
   does not appear to allow the TC to present XHTML as an
   approved format: only "HTML" is approved.  As we know,
   there are major differences between HTML and XHTML:
   HTML, if it's valid, conforms to an SGML DTD; XHTML
   is XML, and uses namespaces (etc).

   The AIR document at lines 315-316 is consistent with
   the current "OASIS Technical Committee Process" [5],
   which says in section 2.18 'Specification Quality' that
   "All TC-approved versions of documents (i.e. Committee
   Drafts, Public Review Drafts, and Committee
   Specifications) must be submitted to the TC's document
   repository in the editable source, HTML, and PDF formats."

3) If you want to see the OASIS Technical Committee Process
   amended to allow the use of XHTML as an approved format,
   you could indicate this request in connection with your
   review of the AIR proposal.  Alternately, of course,
   if you want to request a change in the OASIS Technical Committee
   process, you could (a) mention this to your TC Staff
   contact; (b) send a note to Mary McRae, who works with
   the templates [mary.mcrae@oasis-open.org]; (c) have your
   Technical Committee send a TC-sponsored memo to the OASIS Board of
   Directors, who approved the Technical Committee Process [6];
   (d) post a message to the oasis-member-discuss list at
   oasis-member-discuss@lists.oasis-open.org; do all of (a) - (d)

Since I wrote my earlier message, I changed my mind about this:

> For these reasons and others, I believe the AIR document
> and the TC Process document should mandate XHTML for OASIS
> TC (final) spec work.

It should probably be "should allow XHTML for OASIS TC (final)
spec work" (not "mandate"); someone informed me that some
TCs prefer to use tools that can produce HTML but not XHTML

> 
> Best Regards,
> 
> AZ

Thanks!

Robin Cover
[not speaking officially for OASIS]

======= Refs:

[1] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/trans-ws/200507/msg00005.html
[2] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/trans-ws/200507/msg00007.html

[3] David Petraitis <david.petraitis@oasis-open.org>
**Note: David may be the OASIS Staff Contact for your TC, but I am
not sure; as of today, the member roster does not indicate who
the TC's Staff Contact is

http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/membership.php?wg_abbrev=trans-ws
http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/trans-ws/members/roster.php

[4] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/tc-announce/200507/msg00001.html
    http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/members/200507/msg00001.html
    "Member review of draft Artifact ID Requirements, by 27 July"

    Archive: http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/oasis-member-discuss/

[5] http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/process.php

[6] The OASIS Technical Committee Process is a document approved by
the OASIS Board of Directors; see:

http://www.oasis-open.org/private/bod_minutes_03_23_05.pdf
the Board approves the proposed updates to the TC Process

See also: http://www.oasis-open.org/private/bod_minutes_09_18_03.pdf

Unfortunately, neither the TC Process document nor the
OASIS Policies and Procedures document provides a clue to
indicate what a TC Member should do if s/he wished to request
a change in the TC Process:

http://www.oasis-open.org/who/policies_procedures.php
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/process.php

One possible option would be to send email to the
OASIS Board of Directors:

http://www.oasis-open.org/who/bod.php