Reviewing

Are you interested in reviewing HTML5 for errors?

Jump in! All feedback is welcome, from anyone.

1. Open the specification: either the one-page version, or the multipage version or the PDF copy (A4, Letter)
2. Start reading! See below for ideas of what to look for.
3. If you find a problem, either send an e-mail to the WHATWG list ([email protected], subscription required), file a bug (registration required), send an e-mail to the [email protected] list (no subscription required), or send an e-mail directly to [email protected].

If everything goes according to plan, all issues will get a response from the editor before October. You can track how many issues remain to be responded to on our graph.

What to look for

The plan is to see whether we can shake down the spec and get rid of all the minor problems that have so far been overlooked. Typos, confusion, cross-reference errors, as well as mistakes in examples, errors in the definitions, and major errors like security bugs or contradictions.

Anyone who helps find problems in the spec — however minor — will get their name in the acknowledgements section.

You don't really need any experience to find the simplest class of problems: things that are confusing! If you don't understand something, then that's a problem. Not all the introduction sections and examples are yet written, but if there is a section with an introduction section that isn't clear, then you've found an issue: let us know!

Something else that would now be good to search for is typos, spelling errors, grammar errors, and the like. Don't hesitate to send e-mails even for minor typos; all feedback even on such small issues is very welcome.

If you have a specific need as a Web designer, then try to see if the need is met. If it isn't, and you haven't discussed this need before, then send an e-mail to the list. (So for example, if you want HTML to support date picker widgets, you'd look in the spec to see if it was covered. As it turns out, that one is!)

If you have some specific expertise that lets you review a particular part of the spec for correctness, then that's another thing to look for. For example if you know about graphics, then reviewing the 2D Canvas API section would be a good use of your resources. If you know about scripting, then looking at the "Web browsers" section would be a good use of your time.

Staying in touch

You are encouraged to join our IRC channel #whatwg on Freenode to stay in touch with what other people are doing, but this is by no means required. You are also encouraged to post in the Discussion section below, or in the blog comments for the corresponding blog post, to let people know what you are reviewing. You can get news updates by following @WHATWG on Twitter.

Discussion

Once you've reviewed a section, add a note here to let others know that you've looked at it. That way people can coordinate their efforts and we can make better use of our resources.