Let me try a concrete proposal:
- All document editors MUST submit XML format to the RFC editor.
(Mostly) semantic markup makes a lot more sense than presentation
mark-up as it makes it possible to translate the format into a variety
of output formats. This format is the long-term archival format, as it
seems highly unlikely that the world will suddenly forget how to
interpret XML in any timeframe we care about. The schema/DTD is
documented in ASCII, so if an alien invaders take over the (IETF) world,
they can bootstrap, as long as they can figure out English.
- Authors can use Word (or other formats), but must use a Word style
that makes automatic translation to the 2629 XML possible. I don't know
enough about Word internals to know if Word styles are sufficient to
make this possible today, but with a bit of semantic mark-up (e.g.,
surround the abstract with tags), this shouldn't be too hard.
- The XML version is made available to the public and is the
authoritative version, in addition to the traditional ASCII version. The
XML version can then be used to generate more readable and printable
versions using XSLT or other tools. I suspect generating a PDF version
wouldn't be hard, either. These presentation formats can then evolve as
people care to write tools.
- The XML format also allows the use of UTF-8, for use in examples, not
as normative text. The translation to ASCII can automatically insert U+
or other appropriate elements.
- SVG or a subset thereof is authorized for illustrative (non-normative)
diagrams. The XML schema already supports the ability to link
alternative renditions of graphics, so this requires minimal effort.
I think this would actually put us ahead of standards organizations that
use presentation-oriented document formats that are hard to transform
into alternative renditions now or in the future. None of the above
requires a major change in process, rules or procedures. The only
'tools' effort would be to create a suitable DOC template. Given that
converting existing late-stage drafts may be onerous, this can be phased
in over time.
Henning
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