PWG Mail Archive: RE: PWG> "Draft Standard" is an

RE: PWG> "Draft Standard" is an oxymoron

From: Gail Songer (gsonger@peerless.com)
Date: Fri Jan 31 2003 - 17:49:53 EST

  • Next message: McDonald, Ira: "RE: PWG> "Draft Standard" is an oxymoron"

    Ira,

    I was talking about the filename of written documents are stored on the
    server. I think we should differentiate between the version of the
    protocol and current file name of the specification.

    I understand that XML files need some sort of unique name. This should
    be the same as the version of the protocol but that might not be the
    same thing as the filename that for the associated version of a spec.
    (For example, if the spec underwent purely editorial changes that caused
    no change in the XML, then the spec should be able to change without
    having to rev the XML)

    I feel like there are two different topics; how to name the specs and
    how to version the protocol.

    Gail

    -----Original Message-----
    From: McDonald, Ira [mailto:imcdonald@sharplabs.com]
    Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 1:59 PM
    To: 'Harry Lewis'; Gail Songer
    Cc: PWG (E-mail)
    Subject: RE: PWG> "Draft Standard" is an oxymoron

    Hi,

    I agree with Harry - the major.minor.revision three-tier numeric
    versioning is clearly needed for the schema files and the other
    machine-readable artifacts that are required for PSI operation.

    Date is not an acceptable form for the over-the-wire detailed
    versioning of a protocol - and the two are the same thing for
    PSI.

    Cheers,
    - Ira McDonald

    PS - I'm happy to have date in the filename for working-drafts
    and/or PWG 'standards track' documents.

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Harry Lewis [mailto:harryl@us.ibm.com]
    Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 3:18 PM
    To: Gail Songer
    Cc: PWG (E-mail)
    Subject: RE: PWG> "Draft Standard" is an oxymoron

    A point that (I think) Ira and Tom were trying to make is that "from the
    outside looking in" major (and minor) version numbers such as v1.0 and
    v1.1
    have "meaning". Since we are so close to the standards development
    process... any rolling counter will do for us (date or
    major.minor.revision).

    Also we need to have a format that makes sense for PSI and (potentially)
    automatic reference and retrieval of schema, XML documents etc.

    I guess I'm casting my preference toward v1.x.x. with clear-cut rules as
    to
    where to start and end the sequence as we somewhat articulated on the
    call
    yesterday.
    ----------------------------------------------
    Harry Lewis
    IBM Printing Systems
    ----------------------------------------------

    "Gail Songer" <gsonger@peerless.com>
    Sent by: owner-pwg@pwg.org
    01/31/2003 01:22 PM
            To: "PWG (E-mail)" <pwg@pwg.org>
            cc:
            Subject: RE: PWG> "Draft Standard" is an oxymoron

    I prefer identifying documents by date rather than by version number.
      
    For IPPFax, it was sometime into the process when we decided what
    "version"
    to use. (Should we make this the first version 1.0 or align our version
    with the version of IPP we were going to require V1.0) There also seems
    to
    be some discussion on the version of IPP for the Document object....
      
    Gail
      
      
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Harry Lewis [mailto:harryl@us.ibm.com]
    Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 12:03 PM
    To: Hastings, Tom N
    Cc: Farrell, Lee; PWG (E-mail)
    Subject: RE: PWG> "Draft Standard" is an oxymoron
      

    I propose we draft a working draft of a proposal for drafting draft
    standards proposals. Oh.. that's right.. we did that once...

    Seriously... can we move off the topic of how the brain and tongue work
    together and focus on what appeared to be the issues with substance from
    yesterday's call?

    1. 3 tier or 2 tier. We had a 3 step process but I'm willing to reduce
    this
    to 2 steps based on our experience
     - We used to call our 3 step process Proposed, Draft and Standard
     - We can call our 2 step process anything but I think Proposed and
    Standard
    were the most vocal (Draft and Standard does fit better in my brain...
    but
    then there is this endless debate.. anyone got a coin)?

    2. Versioning
     - <major>.<minor>.<revision>
     - date coded

    We have documents in or nearing last call which really depend on
    closure.
    ----------------------------------------------
    Harry Lewis
    IBM Printing Systems
    ----------------------------------------------

      "Hastings, Tom N" <hastings@cp10.es.xerox.com>
    Sent by: owner-pwg@pwg.org
    01/31/2003 12:35 PM
           To: "Farrell, Lee" <Lee.Farrell@cda.canon.com>
           cc: "PWG (E-mail)" <pwg@pwg.org>
           Subject: RE: PWG> "Draft Standard" is an oxymoron

    Lee and Bill,
     
    The problem is what do you call successive versions of the Draft
    Standard,
    before you are ready to send it out for Last Call?
     
    Working Drafts of the Draft Standard?
     
    Using "Draft" in two different senses in the same sentence to identify a
    document is pretty confusing. And we know that people in normal
    conversion
    like to drop the adjectives and just talk about the "Draft". So which
    do
    they mean when they say the "Draft is ...".
     
    Tom
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Farrell, Lee [mailto:Lee.Farrell@cda.canon.com]
    Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2003 18:33
    To: PWG (E-mail)
    Subject: RE: PWG> "Draft Standard" is an oxymoron

    Duh.
     
    [If people can understand "jumbo shrimp" without losing sleep, I don't
    see
    why "draft standard" would cause a problem.]
     
    lee
     
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Harry Lewis [mailto:harryl@us.ibm.com]
    Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2003 6:05 PM
    To: Hastings, Tom N
    Cc: pwg@pwg.org
    Subject: Re: PWG> "Draft Standard" is an oxymoron

    Er... Um... so why is it so hard to put the definition to use and
    realize
    that a "Draft Standard" is a preliminary version of a "Standard"?
    ----------------------------------------------
    Harry Lewis
    IBM Printing Systems
    ----------------------------------------------
      "Hastings, Tom N" <hastings@cp10.es.xerox.com>
    Sent by: owner-pwg@pwg.org
    01/30/2003 04:24 PM
          To: pwg@pwg.org
          cc:
          Subject: PWG> "Draft Standard" is an oxymoron

    Here is why I think that "Draft Standard" is an oxymoron. Draft is too
    fleeting. Standard is meant to be more stable.

    So I looked up the word "Draft" in the dictionary. Webster's Seventh
    Collegiate Dictionary says:

    "a preliminary sketch, outline, or version".

    We all use the word "draft" (or "working draft") to mean the document
    that
    we update rapidly to get to a version that we all consider stable enough
    to
    have a Last Call.

    So one of the appealing suggestions made at today's call was to just
    remove
    section 3.4 Draft Standard and have only 3.4 Proposed Standard and 3.6
    Standard. Both have to have a series of drafts to be reviewed to lead
    up to
    being an approved Proposed Standard or an approved Standard. And both
    need
    to have a draft that is considered good enough to both trying a Last
    Call
    and then the Last Call has to actually pass.

    I think much of our trouble is terminology, so fixing the terminology,
    and
    deleting a step seems to be a good thing to do and is NOT abandoning the
    process or overturning turnips.

    Tom



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