XHTML™ Modularization 1.1
There's no practical, black-and-white answer to the question “how many changes can be introduced into a document without subjecting it to technical review” but I share Anne's concern about this one.
I haven't decided whether or not I think there are any technical problems in XHTML™ Modularization 1.1, but I do share Anne van Kesteren’s concerns about its progress directly from Working Draft to Proposed Recommendation without any formal Last Call or Candidate Recommendation period. It seems to me that the draft does introduce some significant technical changes that I might disagree with and I would have liked an opportunity to discuss them. For what it's worth the XML Core WG agreed to raise the issue with the XML Coordination Group.
I'm particularly unsettled by the introduction of an
xhtml:id attribute.
It may be just fine (as far as I can tell,
the draft doesn't actually use the attribute, it just asserts that it
exists in the namespace, can be used on your elements if you wish, and
has the semantics of id on XHTML elements
if you do use it). The introduction of
xhtml:href also seems…potentially confusing
in light of…uhm,
that other
linking specification.
On the subject of XLink, I know from first hand experience that Anne van Kesteren and Björn Höhrmann are smart and careful reviewers. They've heaped criticism on my XLink 1.1 drafts. Unfortunately, there are a bunch of XLink issues on which we simply will not reach agreement, but the spec has been improved by the review process nevertheless.
Comments
Looking around a little more
http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/PR-xhtml-modularization-20060213/ XHTML™ Modularization 1.1 W3C Proposed Recommendation 13 February 2006
links to 'previous version' at
http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/WD-xhtml-m12n-schema-20031003/ Modularization of XHTML™ in XML Schema W3C Working Draft 3 October 2003
*however*, if you click the 2003 'latest version' you get http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/WD-xhtml-modularization-20040218/ Modularization of XHTML™ 1.0 - Second Edition W3C Working Draft 18 February 2004
which says in the sotd
This document is a working draft, but is nearly complete. It reflects clarifications and corrections as a result of nearly three years of use by the community. It also includes an new implementation of the abstract modules using XML Schemas. This implementation has gone through the W3C process, including Last Call, and is now integrated here in anticipation of its publication as a W3C Recommendation.
and http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/WD-xhtml-m12n-schema-20031003/ says its a last call working draft.
this implies it went to last call in Oct 2003 and came out of last call some time in Feb 2004.