<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
The HTML5 spec uses the heavily overloaded word "Window" for an
interface:<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/browsers.html#the-window-object">http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/browsers.html#the-window-object</a><br>
<br>
This overloading causes confusion and coding errors. In a new
specification, selecting a new made up word for this important
interface simplifies the documentation, discussion, and coding with the
interface. <br>
<br>
I'm sure I don't have to enumerate all the overloadings, as reader here
will be quite familiar with them. There is no one certain thing called
"Window". In the context of HTML5, there is one certain thing called
'window', the global scope for Javascript. However unfortunate that
choice may have been, it was made. HTML5 can avoid confusion by taking
a new name rather than "Window".<br>
<br>
Based on the document, it seems like the interface in question would
be "BrowsingContext". Consider:<br>
"...each <a
href="http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/browsers.html#browsing-context">browsing
context</a> has a <dfn id="windowproxy"><code>WindowProxy</code></dfn>
object."<br>
and<br>
<pre class="idl">interface <dfn id="window">Window</dfn> {
// the current browsing context
readonly attribute <a
href="http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/browsers.html#windowproxy">WindowProxy</a> <a
href="http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/browsers.html#dom-window"
title="dom-window">window</a>;
</pre>
<pre class="idl">These could read:
"...each BrowsingContext has a WindowProxy object."
and
interface <dfn id="window">BrowsingContext</dfn> {
// the proxy for the current browsing context
readonly attribute <a
href="http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/browsers.html#windowproxy">WindowProxy</a> browsingContext;
And to take another random example:
</pre>
<dl class="domintro">
<dt><var title="">window</var> . <code title="dom-top"><a
href="http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/browsers.html#dom-top">top</a></code></dt>
<dd>
<p>Returns the <code><a
href="http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/browsers.html#windowproxy">WindowProxy</a></code>
for the <a
href="http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/browsers.html#top-level-browsing-context">top-level
browsing context</a>.</p>
</dd>
<dt>Note how now the comment just makes sense, rather than requiring
the reader to puzzle out the relation between browsing context and
interface Window.</dt>
</dl>
(I made a comment on the doc along these lines but I am uncertain about
whether these comments work).<br>
<br>
jjb<br>
<pre class="idl"> </pre>
<br>
<br>
</body>
</html>