How to read W3C specs(the bare essentials)

Daniel Davis, W3C

@ourmaninjapan

Tip 1: Don't read the spec!

Well, not yet.Look for demos first.

Tip 2: Understand these terms

● Informative (non-normative): – e.g. examples, advice, reference

● Normative:– rules to follow, formal

● Must → Should → May● User Agent = Browser (most of the time)

Tip 3: Check the version

● “Stable” version– www.w3.org/...

● “Dev” version– dev.w3.org/...

Tip 4: Read the abstract & introduction

Tells you what the spec is for

Tip 6: Read the Table of Contents

And read it carefully – it's a good summary of the content

Tip 7: Skip reference bits

● Status● Conformance● Terminology● Privacy● References● Acknowledgements● (until you're more confident)

Tip 8: Look for examples and IDLs

Because we love code!

Tip 9: And don't forget...

It's written for implementors, so read it from a browser's point of view

How to read W3C specs(the bare essentials)

Daniel Davis, W3C

@ourmaninjapan