W3C HTML Working Group

Highlights since the previous AC meeting

On 23 April 2012, the HTML Working Group Chairs announced a draft stabilization plan with a timeline for advancing the HTML5 specifications to W3C Recommendation status. Given some substantive changes based on feedback, the Chairs plan to start a second Last Call review for the HTML5 specifications. Some further details:

• As part of the plan to move the HTML5 specifications through the second Last Call round and beyond, the HTML Working Group chairs have begun a search for new editors for the Recommendation-track versions of the HTML5 and HTML Canvas 2D Context specifications; for details, see the full announcement.
• At the same time, the W3C plans for standardization of the next version of HTML to take place in the HTML Working Group. W3C will be rechartering the group so that it may begin that work on new features for that next version in parallel with work on taking the HTML5 specifications to Recommendation.
• Some members of the community have launched the W3C Web Hypertext Application Technology Community Group as an independent effort, with no formal relationship to the HTML Working Group. That W3C community group plans to continue separate-but-related activity on further development of HTML features using the “living specification” model, and it is expected that its activity will also help the re-chartered HTML Working Group in its work on the next Recommendation-track version of HTML.

In the mean time, the HTML Working Group has been continuing its work on processing issues from the initial Last Call round, and, on 29 March 2012, published ten updated working drafts:

• the HTML5 specification
• HTML5: Edition for Web Authors
• HTML5 differences from HTML4
• HTML+RDFa 1.1
• HTML Microdata
• HTML Canvas 2D Context
• HTML5: Techniques for providing useful text alternatives
• Polyglot Markup: HTML-Compatible XHTML Documents
• HTML to Platform Accessibility APIs Implementation Guide
• HTML: The Markup Language

Note that the HTML5 differences from HTML4 draft includes a section which lists all of the changes made to the HTML5 specification since publication of the initial Last Call Working Draft in May 2011.

The HTML Working Group chairs continue to follow a documented Decision Policy for resolving issues in the group. The chairs also maintain a number of resources for tracking issues related to progress of the group’s specifications:

• an HTML Working Group overall status page
• a list of all open issues, along with status of change proposals and deadlines
• a list of all current formal objections
• a list of issues that are closed but potentially may be reopened

The HTML Working Group had a face-to-face meeting on 3-4 May 2012 in Mountain View. The meeting minutes are available.