Can a Working Group publish a version 2.1 of a Recommendation that defines conformance by reference to the 2.0 Recommendation, plus a few new features defined in 2.1?
In general, no. W3C experience shows that this sort of “differential” specification can be difficult to read and implement. W3C therefore prefers to publish self-contained specifications. For any specification, a Working Group makes decisions about what to include and what to reference based on many factors, such as the expected length of the document and the stability of referenced materials. A typical specification does include some references to external material, and this has W3C Patent Policy implications. Per section 8.2 of the W3C Patent Policy, technology incorporated by reference is “expressly excluded from and shall not be deemed to constitute Essential Claims.” The commitments of the Participants who authored the specification refer to the text in the specification and stop short of the external references. Creating a self-contained specification therefore helps to reduce confusion about licensing commitments as part of improving overall document usability.
Related Questions
- Can a Working Group publish a version 2.1 of a Recommendation that defines conformance by reference to the 2.0 Recommendation, plus a few new features defined in 2.1?
- Can a Working Group publish a new draft of a Recommendation Track document while a PAG is discussing the document?
- Can a Working Group publish a new draft of a Recommendation Track document during an open exclusion opportunity?
