[whatwg] do not encourage use of small element for legal text

[Andrew W. Hagen]

On 6/4/2009 5:10 PM, Jeff Walden wrote:
> Do you seriously believe any client in an industry where he has to 
> step carefully enough to worry about typographical formatting of legal 
> notices is fool enough to follow a not-even-recommendation in the 
> HTML5 specification over what his lawyer tells him is the correct 
> thing to do?
>
> Jeff
My intention was to encourage the HTML 5 specification to not contain 
any content that could be construed as legal advice. That is not a 
comment about the professionalism of any web designer, or of the 
industry. It is just a very bad idea for a technical document to issue 
anything that could be construed as legal advice, and poor advice at that.

If anyone took my words as any criticism of anyone, please understand 
that they were not meant that way.

Responding to Kristof Zelechovski:

What is "encouragement" or "legalese" is of course subjective. The 
examples in my previous message were meant to illustrate what the HTML 5 
spec seems to invite. By listing those examples I meant to encourage 
that the HTML 5 spec be changed to remove any mention of legal texts, 
legalese, warranties, disclaimers, and so on.

I stand by all the points that I have made here on this topic.

Andrew Hagen
contact2009 at awhlink.com