[whatwg] Use cases for the time element

[Jeremy Keith]

In the section for the time element, the spec states:

"This element is intended as a way to encode modern dates and times in  
a machine-readable way so that user agents can offer to add them to  
the user's calendar."

http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/text-level-semantics.html#the-time-element

It seems very, very restrictive to dictate one single use case for an  
element. Specifying an example use case, I could understand, but a  
single use case? Isn't that kind of like dictating a single use for an  
API before it has even been released?

Elsewhere in the spec, this usage is contravened. In the section on  
"common idioms without dedicated elements", this example is given:

"The following extract shows how an IM conversation log could be  
marked up.
<p> <time>14:22</time> <b>egof</b> I'm not that nerdy, I've only seen  
30% of the star trek episodes"

http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/commands.html#conversations

I think that's a perfectly reasonable use of the time element* but I  
find it hard to imagine how a user could add a chat message to their  
calendar.

Jeremy

-- 
Jeremy Keith

a d a c t i o

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* The example is, however, a terrible use of the b element. The cite  
element is more appropriate.