Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- tools:www-style [2013/01/10 18:28] – Page moved and renamed from faq to tools:www-style fantasai
+++ tools:www-style [2014/12/09 15:48] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== CSS WG Frequently Asked Questions ======
+====== www-style Etiquette ======
-===== www-style =====
+The [[http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/|www-style mailing list]] is the primary forum for discussing the development of CSS.
-The www-style mailing list is the primary forum for discussing the development of CSS, here are some guidelines and answers to frequently asked questions.
-==== start subjects with bracketed topics/specs ====
+Note: This does not mean development //with// CSS; for help with using CSS, see [[http://www.css-discuss.org/|css-discuss]] for that.
-When writing an email to www-style, please start the subject with the particular, topic, specification, property in brackets, e.g.
-  * [CSS3-UI][text-overflow] what happens to overflow when you scroll
-  * [CSS4] what's planned for CSS4?
+===== Start Subjects with Bracketed Topics/Specs =====
-==== change the subject when a starting discussion ====
+When writing an email to www-style about a particular spec, please summarize the topic in the subject line and start the subject with the spec code in brackets, e.g.
-A lot of emails get posted to www-style (such as minutes) which can spark new / specific discussions.
+  * [css3-ui] text-overflow - what happens to overflow when you scroll
+  * [CSS21] overconstrained fixed table layouts underdefined
-When replying any such email and following-up on a specific aspect or subject, please start a *new* subject with the particular topic in brackets.
+The spec codes allow editors to more reliably track and address feedback on their specs, and help direct other interested people to the thread.
-E.g. bad:
+===== Interleave Replies and Trim Quoted Text =====
-  * RE: [CSSWG] Minutes and Resolutions Paris F2F Monday Morning 2012-02-06: Administrivia, Vendor Prefixes, Property/Value Alias OM
-    * when the actual message is just about prefixes or prefixed values etc.
-good:
+Interleave or bottom-post replies, and trim quotations to quote only relevant parts. Previous discussion is always available in full in the [[http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/|archive]].
-  * prefixed values(RE: [CSSWG] Minutes and Resolutions Paris F2F Monday Morning 2012-02-06: Administrivia, Vendor Prefixes, Property/Value Alias OM)
+===== Don't reply to announcement threads  =====
+Occasionally a CSSWG member will post meeting minutes, a draft publication announcement, or a meeting agenda to the list. If you want to discuss one of the topics in the message, quote the relevant part and start a new thread with a new subject line. Only reply to the announcement thread if you're offering a correction or missing background info.
+Announcement threads should be marked with [CSSWG].
+===== Change the subject when a starting new discussion =====
+A lot of emails get posted to www-style which can spark new / specific discussions in subthreads. When replying any such email and following-up on a specific aspect or subject, please start a *new* subject with the particular topic in brackets. This helps people notice the topic change.
+E.g. bad:
+  * RE: [CSSWG] Minutes Telecon 2012-02-29
+    * when the actual message is about a technical issue in the Animations spec
 better:
-  * prefixed values (was RE: [CSSWG] Minutes and Resolutions Paris F2F Monday Morning 2012-02-06: Administrivia, Vendor Prefixes, Property/Value Alias OM)
+  * animating vertical-align (RE: [CSSWG] Minutes Telecon 2012-02-29)
 best:
-  * [vendor-prefixes] prefixed values (was RE: [CSSWG] Minutes and Resolutions Paris F2F Monday Morning 2012-02-06: Administrivia, Vendor Prefixes, Property/Value Alias OM)
+  * [css3-animations] animating vertical-align
+===== Use standard text conventions for quotes, not colors or name-tags =====
+Some mail clients like Outlook prefer to indicate quoted text simply by coloring it (often a dark blue).  This is extremely inaccessible - it's hard to read in the best of situations, and once it hits the mail archive, the color disappears entirely and renders the email unreadable.
+Alternately, some people indicate quoting by simple interleaving, and tagging the passages from the quoted message with a short name tag, like:
+<code>
+[AB] And then I said, rectum, I hardly knew 'im!
+I don't get the joke.
+</code>
-==== ... ====
+This is often unclear in the best of situations, again, but as soon as someone quotes a second time, the quoting level is lost entirely, and the email becomes an unreadable mess.
-This CSS WG FAQ is a stub.
+Prefer, instead, to quote using the standard text convention of prepending a ">" character to lines that are quoted.  This is widely recognized as quoting, preserves nesting levels, and is maintained in the mail archives.  All mail clients can be configured to use this style of quoting - just look up instructions.
+If you must, use a proper ''<blockquote>'' element in the markup - most email readers will convert that into textual quoting.