[whatwg] Administrivia: Update on the relationship between the WHATWG HTML living standard and the W3C HTML5 specification

[Bronislav Klučka]

On 20.7.2012 14:38, Steve Faulkner wrote:
> Hi Hixie,
>
> I believe you have made some spurious claims, one of them being;
>
> "The WHATWG effort is focused on developing the
> canonical description of HTML and related technologies"
> ................
> The claim that HTML the living standard is canonical appears to imply that
> the requirements and advice contained within HTML the living standard is
> more correct than what is in the HTML5 specification
> ................
> In respect to those author related requirements mentioned above the HTML5
> specification can currently claim to be contain a more accurate set of
> requirements and advice, that takes into account current implementation
> realities, thus providing author with more practical advice and thus end
> users with a better experience.
>
>
Canonical means neither "correct" nor "accurate", those words have no 
meaning in this case, you cannot apply them on set of rules (you first 
have to have set of rules, to claim, whether something is accurate or 
correct within the boundaries of those rules), canonical means, that 
those set of rules are valid, that those rules apply.
The question is, who will follow those set of rules. Both HTML5 and HTML 
TLS can claim to be canonical, both can be valid for different groups.
Let's just hope all major vendors will chose the same...


Brona