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Ambiguity for Registries before reaching W3C Registry Status #1085
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In my understanding, a change to a Registry Definition would be a class 4 change. If you are pre-Rec (or pre-Registry) then that’s okay, but you may need to gather wide review on the change before publishing a new CR Snapshot, which would be needed before you can get to Rec/Registry. I do not think you are free to make class 4 changes to Registry Definitions without further scrutiny.
When it comes to Registry Entries, I think you are free to do what you like with the contents of Registry tables. Once you get to Rec/Registry the normative rules you define in the Registry Definition will apply, but before Rec/Registry I think you are technically allowed to do what you like. It would probably be good practice to follow the rules of the Registry Definition once you have reached CR though, to avoid surprising followers, and also to verify that those rules meet your needs as expected.
One thing this points to is that if anyone is thinking of targeting a Candidate Registry as the highest maturity stage they ever expect to reach, that would rather circumvent the expectations embodied by the Process, and I think would be a very bad idea indeed. Similarly, a Registry that is part of a Recommendation track document whose WG never expects to go beyond CR is about as useful as the proverbial chocolate teapot: there's barely any requirement on the WG to adhere to the Registry Definition.
In my understanding, a change to a Registry Definition would be a class 4 change. If you are pre-Rec (or pre-Registry) then that’s okay, but you may need to gather wide review on the change before publishing a new CR Snapshot, which would be needed before you can get to Rec/Registry. I do not think you are free to make class 4 changes to Registry Definitions without further scrutiny.
I agree with this but officially the process document has a bug or loophole. Here is my reasoning:
- Class 4 changes are allowed:
Changes that add new features (i.e., class 4 changes) are allowed in all W3C Registries, without needing them to explicitly indicate that this is allowed.
- Class 4 changes definition says that a rule can be added
New features
Changes that add new functionality, such as new elements, new APIs, new rules, etc.Given that a registry definition is a set of rules, registry definition can be changed anytime by adding a new rule that makes the registry more restrictive, making entries potentially invalid.
I don't see a use case for allowing class 4 changes to the registry.
That's an interesting point, I hadn't thought of it from the point of view of adding "features" that could significantly change the operation of the registry definition. That does seem like a possible problem, at least in some hypothetical cases, but it also could be a helpful opportunity in others.
Reacted by Ege Korkan
Describe the general question related to the W3C Process or its implementation
The process is rather clear how a registry is managed once it reaches the W3C Registry status. However, it is not clear what happens until then. In the Web of Things WG, we have started a discussion about this and reached a preliminary consensus, but we are not sure about it. See the linked issue at w3c/wot-binding-registry#22
What happens if someone wants to submit a registry entry before the registry is finalized? Can we collect entries before becoming a "W3C Registry"? What happens if we change the registry definition after there are living entries in the registry?
All groups have entries before becoming a W3C Registry, but given that there are still no W3C Registries (see https://www.w3.org/TR/?filter-tr-name=&status%5B%5D=ry), I am not sure what will happen then.