RE: [ws-rx-editors] FW: [chairs] RDDL / RSS and simplifying "busy work" for spec' editors / staff?

I think I have a partial understanding of this idea. The 
thing that leaps out at me is the possibility of stripping the 
metadata about the document (date, stage, revision, etc.) from the 
documents themselves. That way you could "promote" a specification from Working 
Draft to Committee Draft status without having to edit and rename the actual 
documents.

 

The thing that bothers me is the problem of maintaining the 
relationship between specification metadata and the actual document outside of 
the context of Kavi or whatever. Once I download a copy of a document, 
how do I know what the status of specification for which the document is a 
part? Obviously there is a many-to-one mapping; a single document 
could be WD-12, and CD-04, and CS-02, and OS, but how do you 
know?

 

I wonder if there might be a way to parameterize the 
documents and then, at download time, fill in the parameters (stage, revision, 
date, etc.) with information that was "contextualized" by the link used to 
download the document. For example; if I download wsfoo-1.5-spec-**-**.doc 
using the "CD-04" link, I end up with a doc named wsfoo-1.5-spec-cd-04.doc with 
the correct dates, links, etc. in the title page, correct footers, etc. One 
problem with this is that, to minimize the cost of developing such a system, 
OASIS would probably have to designate one document format as the "official" 
format (either that or develop multiple parameter resolution/injection 
mechanisms). Another problem with this approach is that OASIS would have to be 
stricter about the mapping of metadata to document names, 
etc.

 

- gp

  

  
  From: Patil, Sanjay 
  [mailto:] 
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 3:02 
  PM
To: 
Subject: 
  [ws-rx-editors] FW: [chairs] RDDL / RSS and simplifying "busy work" for spec' 
  editors / staff?

  

  
Here is an idea about simplifying maintenance of the 
  status metadata of specifications. I thought you may be interested in 
  this.

  
 

  
Personally, I am not sure how decoupling the status 
  information helps in solving the problem. Perhaps I have not misunderstood the 
  problem itself!

  
 

  
-- Sanjay

  

  
  From: David RR Webber (XML) 
  [mailto:] 
Sent: Wednesday, Apr 04, 2007 9:46 
  AM
To: 
Subject: [chairs] RDDL 
  / RSS and simplifying "busy work" for spec' editors / 
  staff?

  

  
Folks,

  
 

  
Like all of us involved in moving spec's through the process - I'm 
  constantly wanting the mechanics to be easier to facilitate and the burden on 
  the OASIS supporting staff to be lessened - while retaining the rigour 
  needed.

  
 

  
It seems that the new IPR changes have introduced a doubling up on the 
  number of steps to go through - and hence potential revisions of 
  documents.

  
 

  
I'm wondering if we can de-couple the actual status of the specification 
  from the specification documents and schemas themselves by referencing to a 
  central status tracker instead?

  
 

  
This would therefore reduce the continual editing of each item - just to 
  update the status indicator.  That editing also adds 
  confusion factor - because every document appears to change at each 
  step even if no substantive changes were actually done.

  
 

  
One candidate for the tracker is the RDDL - another would be to create an 
  RSS document - that tracks the status of the specification of each TC 
  centrally, and locally on each TC page.  The RSS would have the side 
  benefit of allowing subscription to that to do notifications of changes.

  
 

  
Either way the RDDL and RSS could be directly linked on the Kavi TC page 
  as a "Status" link that would be clickable along with the other standard 
  links.  That linkage would be noted on the title page of the 
  specification and in-line in schemas - something like http://status.oasis-open.org/tcabbrev 
  .

  
 

  
Thanks, DW

"The way to be is to do" - Confucius (551-472 
  B.C.)

smime.p7s