Hi,
Over the weekend the students in my class working in the WebVTT spec
were trying to sort out ambiguities in the spec and how to treat the
spec document vs. the implementation. One of the advantages of working
within the Mozilla context is that they have access to the experience
and insights of the larger community, and I'd ask that you help me guide
them.
The WebVTT spec has a number of sections:
3.1 Syntax - a set of rules for creating a valid webvtt file
(http://dev.w3.org/html5/webvtt/#the-webvtt-file-format)
3.2 Parsing - a pseudo algorithm for parsing a webvtt input stream
(http://dev.w3.org/html5/webvtt/#the-webvtt-file-format)
Unfortunately, these do not match in every respect. For example, the
Syntax section has different ideas about which cues are valid than the
Parsing section. To me, the former is advice for an Author or for
writing a validator, and the latter the rules governing the parser.
Both matter, but in different ways.
Because the students are reading, interpreting, and implementing a spec
for the first time, they are falling into common traps, and it's
beginning to become a distraction. I'd appreciate if those of you on
this list who have safely navigated the spec/impl border in the past
could help them not blow themselves up.
What works? What should they avoid?
To my students: please *do* ask useful questions of this list if you are
confused, or feel your colleagues are confused. Hopefully those here
who are deeply engaged with media standards on the web can help you.
Dave
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