[whatwg] time and meter elements

[Matthew Raymond]

David Latapie wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I have some trouble inderstanding the need for these elements really. 
> Especially when considering the example:
> 
> <http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/#the-time>
> <p>Our first date was <time datetime="2006-09-23">a saturday</time>.</p>
> Out of sorting all the events that happened that day, it really seems 
> weird to me.
> 
> (irony below)
> I have an idea for another element: <color>
> 
> <p>He was driving his parent’s <color>blue</color> car.</p>
> Do you see any difference in relevance here? I don’t.

   That's because your <time> example deliberately uses <time> in a
frivolous manner.

> By the way, what about:
[...]
> or
> <p><name surname="John" familly name="Hopkins">He[</name>]was driving his 
> parent’s blue car.</p>

   A <name> element may have some uses, such as providing a hook for
adding people to your contact list:

| <address>
|   <name>John Hopkins</name><br>
|   Phone: (359) 555-1701
| </address>

   Use case may be a little weak, though, I'll grant you that.

> (is <time> a good replacement for <second>, I don't know)

   The <time> element provides a value that represents a specific point
in time, not a measurement of how much time has past.

> Err...
> 
> OK, now, seriously: what is the rationale behind this?

   One rationale is localization. The browser can take the time given by
the |datetime| attribute and convert it into a localized time. For
instance, what does this mean?...

| <p>We're changing the day of the meeting to 08-03-07.</p>

   Is the date August 3rd, 2007, March 8th, 2007 or March 7th, 2008?
Now, look at this:

| <p>
|   We're changing the day of the Inkwells meeting to
|   <time datetime="2007-08-03">08-03-07</time>.
| </p>

   The user agent can replace the contents of <time> with the localized
value of |datetime|, with the added plus of having a hook for styling.

   Another purpose would be for event scheduling. User agents could
provide UI that would allow you to create an event in your calendar
using the contents of the <time> element:

| <time datetime="2007-08-03" title="Inkwells Meeting">08-03-07</time>

   Are these not sufficient use cases?