Re: [dita-lightweight-dita] Future of the subcommittee

[Kristen James Eberlein <kris@eberleinconsulting.com>]

Yes, my initial e-mail was ill-thought out. (But if it accelerated folks thinking about what to do with the subcommittee, that's a GOOD THING.)

I'll plan to attend tomorrow's LwDITA subcommittee call. We can go over the following:

• DITA TC requirements for subcommittees (which some subcommittee members might not be familiar with)
• Possibilities that the DITA TC has discussed about wrapping up the LwDITA work. More details on that below.

On the 26 October DITA call, the DITA TC was clear that we did not see the way "to fold" LwDITA into the DITA 2.0 spec. Nor did any DITA TC members step forward as willing to serve as editors of the LwDITA spec. I volunteered to look at the existing committee note and see if I thought it could be updated.

At the 02 November TC call, we discussed whether updating the LwDITA committee note was the best approach to finalizing the work on LwDITA. My opinion was that updating the committee note was not the best approach, as it would 1) require a complete rewrite, and 2) not be the best vehicle for containing the content that currently exists in the draft LwDITA spec.

Instead, I suggested that the LwDITA spec be pushed (post release of DITA 2.0) into the OASIS process as a committee specification draft. And then it would left at that stage. While LwDITA would not become an OASIS standard, it would get a certain-level of legitimacy by being a committee specification draft. This is something that many OASIS TCs have done over the years.

These considerations also were made based on the information that Carlos presented to the TC, which stressed that there was not bandwidth or ability on the part of subcommittee members to move forward with work on the LwDITA spec.

Best,
Kris

Kristen James Eberlein
Chair, OASIS DITA Technical Committee
OASIS Distinguished Contributor
Principal consultant, Eberlein Consulting LLC
www.eberleinconsulting.com
+1 919 622-1501; kriseberlein (skype)

On 11/21/2021 5:24 AM, Wegmann, Frank wrote:

[Apologies, these two paragraphs were meant to go firstâ]

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Thank you Kris, for revisiting the policies for the relationship between the TC and SCs. At first, I was taken aback from your initial email in this matter, since it is in the interest of everybody to look for a pragmatic solution after Carlosâ retreat.

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Alan is certainly right in that the SC hasnât had a chance to discuss the current options. As you summarized, the TC had the future of the LwDITA spec process twice on the agenda (Oct 26, Nov 2, the second one I missed unfortunately) and there were âbilateralâ talks between you, Kris, Robert (?) and Carlos. I must admit I donât have the latest information on the results of these talks other than the TC minutes from Nov 2.

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I think that, currently, work on LwDITA is at a critical junction. There is an agreement among SC members that there will be no more features added to what has been defined in the current spec documents so far. However, there is still a lot of work in the editorial area as well as resolving technical issues given the current interlocking of DITA 2 and LwDITA contents, hence the discussion in the TC whether the formalization of LwDITA might be better off in a new committee note.

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When I made the tentative, but reluctant offer on the TC to perhaps step in for Carlos, because Iâm a voting member, it was based on these formal grounds only, knowing all too well that Iâd not be a candidate anyway capable of filling his shoes, due to my limited experience in OASIS work and LwDITA. And, yes, available time is a precious good for all of us. I did so, because I think that the SC should continue to shape LwDITA as a group. LwDITA is important to many in our industry, the discussions in the TC showed this all too clearly as well as recent talks in the DITA-OT coordination calls. We need to finish this.

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Tomorrow there is a regular SC meeting scheduled and we should discuss how to go from here. Kris, would you mind participating in this meeting as well to tell us about the outcome of your talks with Carlos?

As Alan, Iâd like to encourage other SC members, who are also TC voting members, with a better track record than mine to think about stepping up as a chair. I just want to ensure that the SC doesnât fall apart right now.

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Thanks,

Frank

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From: dita-lightweight-dita@lists.oasis-open.org <dita-lightweight-dita@lists.oasis-open.org> On Behalf Of Alan Houser
Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2021 01:34
To: Kristen James Eberlein <kris@eberleinconsulting.com>
Cc: dita-lightweight-dita@lists.oasis-open.org
Subject: Re: [dita-lightweight-dita] Future of the subcommittee

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Hi Kris,

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Thanks for the pointer to the SC governance documents (and apologies for overlooking them), and thank you for these guiding thoughts.

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Iâll attempt to attend the next several TC meetings to regain voting status. I donât want to âplant a flagâ (the LwDITA SC would benefit from broader participation), but I do want to maintain the LwDITA SC's viability going forward, at least in the short/medium term. I would also encourage Frank or others to step up.

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-Alan

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On Nov 20, 2021, at 5:20 PM, Kristen James Eberlein <kris@eberleinconsulting.com> wrote:

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And re-reading the policies document made me aware that we've got some steps to follow here. I was jumping the gun to suggest closing the subcommittee so rapidly; it's my (and the TC's) responsibility to try to help arrange new leadership, if necessary.

• Leadership: Do we have another person willing to serve as co-chair or secretary of the subcommittee? If so, and that person would be willing to be an active and voting member of the TC, we'd meet the requirements. Frank Wegmann, might you be willing to serve as secretary? I got the sense when Carlos first brought up the fact that he would be leaving, that serving as co-chair was not something that you thought you could manager. Alan Houser? Would you be interested in stepping up?
• Can the subcommittee commit to meeting at least once a month?
• What work item's will the subcommittee focus on? Based on the report that Carlos gave to the TC on 26 October (see https://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/dita/202111/msg00000.html), we got the sense that pursuing a LwDITA spec was no longer feasonable. The TC looked at whether updating the committee note was possible, but thought that would be the right route/too much work and a lack of volunteers. On the TC meeting on 02 November (see https://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/dita/202111/msg00008.html), the TC floated the idea of getting a draft LwDITA spec into the OASIS process as a committee specification draft (after DITA 2.0), but then not advancing the LwDITA spec any further.

Best,
Kris

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