Dear Jean-Claude,
On Jul 15, 2009, at 13:54 , Jean-Claude Dufourd wrote:
Marcos Caceres a écrit :
From the spec "...an author can request that a widget asynchronously
check if a widget has been updated [(i.e., that a new version of the
widget package is available online)] via the widget.update() method,
defined in the Widgets-API specification. This strategy also relies
on
the author having declared a update element in the widget
configuration document, as it makes use of the URI to potentially
retrieve an UDD and relay whether an update is available back to the
instantiated Widget. **Actually performing the update is left to the
discretion of the widget user agent.**"
JCD: this standards trick works if your aim is to have a patent on
the highlighted point be judged as non-essential.
It's not a trick, but more importantly you're answering the beginning
of a thread that has now moved on to entirely different conclusions.
There are a few points to check to ensure non-essentiality:
- the language of the standard makes the feature a MAY (seems to be
the case);
But as you know variability in specification through optional features
leads directly to a marked lack of interoperability. Therefore using a
MAY here would be bad. Since anyway it was never the intent that an
update occur when this method is called, and since an optional feature
is by and large useless, this entire method has been dropped. This
makes the point moot.
- no test case uses the feature (should be easy too).
Test cases are orthogonal since they are not normative.
However, if the implementations consistently implement the feature,
they will infringe the patent and will get a call from the patent
holder.
People are, of course, always free to infringe on any patent they
wish. All we care about is that it is possible to implement in a
sensible manner and without infringing. Given that we're dropping a
feature that could look like self-updating but wasn't, this is a minor
concern.
It seems to me that this feature may end up as "consistently
implemented".
If it is it won't be because of us since we've concluded that it's of
little use and dropped it from the specification!
There would then be a good case for the WG to spend some time on
devising a proper workaround.
Anyone sharing my opinion that the widget update feature will be
consistenly implemented (even if optional) ?
You seem to be mixing up Widget Updates and the update() method, is
that the case?
Also, the PAG has convened several times already and should produce
its output in a timely manner. So yes the PAG has looked at the
problem from a variety of angles (on which I won't comment since its
operation is member-only) and when its conclusions are published they
will be announced here.
--
Robin Berjon - http://berjon.com/
Feel like hiring me? Go to http://robineko.com/
