Re: [tag] Conformance Clause update suggested

[Stephen Green <stephen.green@documentengineeringservices.com>]

In (a).3 and (b).4 I'd be more comfortable with
referring to 'normative statements' than to 'best
practises'. (That way I think we'd be keeping in
line with our own guidelines.) The concept that
comes to mind for me when speaking of 'best
practise' is one of non-normative practise that
just happens to lead to a good outcome - it
seems to me to actually *contrast* with the
concept of a 'normative statement'. Normative
seems to me to mean standard whereas 'best
practise' suggests aspects within dimensions
of variability which are found to work well but
which can be changed if circumstances change
in favour of better practises. I don't feel 'best
practise' fits all that well with 'conformance'.

Best regards
---
Stephen D Green




2009/11/10 Dennis E. Hamilton <dennis.hamilton@acm.org>:
> This is an interesting expansion of the discussion from the last meeting.
>
> It is also a good time to point out that there are specific guidelines on
> the way conformance clauses and their targets are to be characterized in an
> OASIS specification:
> <http://docs.oasis-open.org/templates/TCHandbook/ConformanceGuidelines.html>
>
> I find the Checklist in Section 6 to be particularly useful in ensuring that
> the objectives of the guidelines are achieved.
>
> I also think we need to review the revised Technical Committee Process
> sections 2.18 Specification Quality, just to make sure we are clear on what
> is required.
>
>  - Dennis
>
> PS:
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jacques R. Durand [mailto:JDurand@us.fujitsu.com]
> Sent: Monday, November 09, 2009 19:27
> To: TAG TC
> Subject: [tag] Conformance Clause update suggested
>
> Bsed on previous comments:
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------------------------
> "Implementations subject to conformance are of two kinds :
>
> (a) representations of the test assertion model described in Section 3, such
> as an XML mark-up schema and its semantics,
>
> (b) instances of test assertions, either using an informal notation as done
> in examples, or using a formal representation mentioned in (a).
>
> NOTE: by extension, a processor or editor may also be considered as
> conforming to this specification if it only produces conforming test
> assertion instances (b) and (if applicable) if it implements a
> representation (a) that is conforming.
>
> In order to conform to this guidelines, a test assertion representation (a)
> shall:
>
> (1) represent all mandatory parts and also the optional parts defined in
> Section 3.1.
> (2) use names for these parts that are identical or can be unambiguously
> mapped to the definitions used in 3.1 as well as in section 5 (glossary).
> (3) When supporting advanced features defined in section 4, i.e. any of the
> following: complex predicate, prerequisite, TA related to a property,
> references to other TAs, references to external specifications, inclusion of
> normative statements, versioning, variables, target categories related to
> each other, then a conforming TA representation shall use these features in
> accordance with the best practices defined for these.
> (4) When supporting a representation of TA sets, the test assertion
> representation must support at least one grouping mechanism described in
> Section 4.6.
>
> In order to conform to this guidelines, a test assertion instance (b) shall:
>
> (1) contain all mandatory parts defined in Section 3.1.
> (2) use names for these parts that are identical or can be unambiguously
> mapped to the definitions used in 3.1 as well as in section 5 (glossary).
> (3) when using optional parts defined in section 3.1, use names that are
> identical to or can be unambiguously mapped to these definitions .
> (4) When using advanced features defined in section 4, i.e. any of the
> following: complex predicate, prerequisite, TA related to a property,
> references to other TAs, references to external specifications, inclusion of
> normative statements, versioning, variables, target categories related to
> each other, then a conforming TA instance shall use these features in
> accordance with the best practices defined for these."
>
>
> -jacques
>
>
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