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decentralgabe opened this issue May 3, 2023 · 12 comments · Fixed by #170
Closed

Being able to normatively reference JSON Schema #133

decentralgabe opened this issue May 3, 2023 · 12 comments · Fixed by #170
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@decentralgabe
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Our largest hurdle for this work item is being able to normatively reference JSON Schema.
JSON Schema has broad usage and industry adoption but isn't a standard in the eyes of the W3C, yet.

The latest draft of JSON Schema is being standardized in the IETF, though this make take some time, too much time for us to hit our REC goal. We can non-normatively refer to older versions of the spec. But I believe we need to normatively refer to at least one version of JSON Schema (@msporny @OR13 correct me if I'm wrong).

I believe our first step should be reaching out to contacts at the W3C and seeing if we can gain an exception for normatively referencing JSON Schema. I'm not certain how this process works. @iherman can you please advise sensible next steps?

@decentralgabe decentralgabe self-assigned this May 3, 2023
@decentralgabe decentralgabe added planning documentation Improvements or additions to documentation process and removed documentation Improvements or additions to documentation labels May 3, 2023
@iherman
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iherman commented May 4, 2023

@decentralgabe the first thing to do is to crosscheck the JSON Schema development process with the W3C Normative References document. If we can have a reasonable set of arguments why JSON Schema can be referred to this way (just, as say, we can refer to schema.org, although it is not a formal standard either) then we are fine.

I guess there is no problem with Licensing, and our answer to the Scheduling question is relatively easy: references to JSON Schema is absolutely essential for this specification to move forward. I think the real question is the stability of the referenced document and this was, I guess, the problem with earlier cases of JSON Schema usage. I am not familiar enough with the JSON Schema developers' community and way of operations to answer this; hopefully you have good information.

It is also a question how sensitive you are on the latest changes/features in terms of our references. Maybe we can argue that the features we are referring to are stable, and we are not sensitive on newer features (e.g., I know I am dependent on the 2019-09 version in yml2vocab for example).

Can you look at those issues? If we have a reasonable set of arguments then we may decide to go ahead, though we may have to defend at later stage in our process.

@Relequestual
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Hello. I currently lead the JSON Schema project.
I recently replied to someone who had some similar questions: https://github.com/orgs/json-schema-org/discussions/3#discussioncomment-6290893. (I referenced this issue too.)

Happy to chat! Feel free to join our slack server!
I'm unlikely to be able to give a timly response in replies here, but feel free to reply in that thread.

@OR13
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OR13 commented Jun 29, 2023

@Relequestual I have enjoyed chatting with you on slack : )

I think we have resolved this issue, but I will confirm with others.

@decentralgabe
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this issue is resolved, and we normatively refer to JSON schema https://github.com/w3c/AB-memberonly/issues/179

@msporny
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msporny commented Jun 30, 2023

this issue is resolved, and we normatively refer to JSON schema w3c/AB-memberonly#179

The question isn't if we normatively refer to JSON Schema, we have to do that... it's if the document linked to (specifically the features linked to) are stable, not going away, and that document will continue to exist over time. That's what we'd like to have a definitive answer from W3M or the W3C Process folks.

That is, "Is the way we're referring to JSON Schema ok?"

@OR13
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OR13 commented Jun 30, 2023

@iherman can we assign you? we've done everything we can on our side I think.

@iherman
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iherman commented Jun 30, 2023

@iherman can we assign you? we've done everything we can on our side I think.

Sure, but I am not sure what I could do that @decentralgabe could not.

See w3c/strategy#108, b.t.w., which is a pretty long-standing issue as you can see. The only thing we can do (and hope for) is to watch that issue.

(I get notifications for w3c/strategy#108 so if this help, I am happy to serve as a conduit.)

@iherman iherman self-assigned this Jun 30, 2023
@OR13
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OR13 commented Jun 30, 2023

I am confused then, why do we leave this issue open if editors think its done, and our staff contact does not know what to do?

@iherman @msporny can you please clarify why this issue should remain open?

@msporny
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msporny commented Jun 30, 2023

@msporny can you please clarify why this issue should remain open?

We need to get a clear answer from the people that make decisions about stable references at W3C about whether or not the way we're referencing JSON Schema is adequate for a W3C REC. That person used to be @plehegar, but given the new organizational structure of W3C, and the way this stuff is handled now via the new councils, and the updates to the W3C Process, I don't know who the appropriate person is in order to ask them. @iherman might know, or might be saying that the way we're referencing JSON Schema may or may not be adequate based on how that issue that's linked to is resolved. IOW, JSON Schema is a down ref that you cannot get past by just including JSON Schema in the specification... and the document that's pointed to might not be adequate because it looks like it could change at any point. Ideally, you could point to a date-stamped spec and say "that one is the one this specification normatively references"... but then you have to make sure that spec is going to be around for (ideally) a decade or more.

You could close the issue, but then you don't get the answer you want to have before you go into CR... and it might result in not being able to publish as anything more than a CR because you don't have a stable reference to JSON Schema.

You need to find the person that can give you a definitive answer about how the Director (or FO Council) would evaluate whether or not this reference to JSON Schema is adequate. The W3C Process folks might be good to reach out to to try to figure out the current status on referring to external documents.

@OR13
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OR13 commented Jun 30, 2023

Seems blocked pending w3c/strategy#108

Unless this issue is resolved I don't think we can advance this document.

@Relequestual
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this issue is resolved, and we normatively refer to JSON schema https://github.com/w3c/AB-memberonly/issues/179

@decentralgabe for those of us who can't see into that repo... can you share what was discussed there and why it resolves this issue? Are you saying you are allowed to normativly refer to JSON Schema, or you just decided to for now?

@iherman
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iherman commented Aug 10, 2023

@Relequestual

this issue is resolved, and we normatively refer to JSON schema w3c/AB-memberonly#179

@decentralgabe for those of us who can't see into that repo... can you share what was discussed there and why it resolves this issue? Are you saying you are allowed to normativly refer to JSON Schema, or you just decided to for now?

The conclusion of that thread actually leads to a (I believe) public comment: w3c/strategy#108 (comment)

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