[whatwg] RDFa is to structured data, like canvas is to bitmap and SVG is to vector

[Sam Ruby]

On Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 2:38 PM, Shelley Powers
<shelleyp at burningbird.net> wrote:
>
> I propose that RDFa is the best solution to the use case Martin supplied,
> and we've shown how it is not a disruptive solution to HTML5.

Others may differ, but my read is that the case is a strong one.  But
I will caution you that a little patience is in order.  SVG is not a
done deal yet.  I've been involved in a number of standards efforts,
and I've never seen a case of "proposed on a Saturday morning, decided
on a Saturday afternoon".  One demo is not conclusive.  Now you
mention that there exists a number of libraries.  I think that's
important.  Very important.  Possibly conclusive.

But back to expectations.  I've seen references elsewhere to Ian being
booked through the end of this quarter.  I may have misheard, but in
any case, my point is the same: if this is awaiting something from
Ian, it will be prioritized and dealt with accordingly.  If, however,
some of the legwork is done for Ian, this may help accelerate the
effort.

Even little things may help a lot.  I know what I'm about to say may
be unpopular, but I'll say it anyway: take a few good examples of RDFa
and run them through Henri's validator.  The validator will helpfully
indicate exactly what areas of the spec would need to be updated in
order to accommodate RDFa.  The next step would be to take a look at
those sections.  If the update is obvious and straightforward, perhaps
nothing more is required.  But if not, researching into the options
and making recommendations may help.

- Sam Ruby