Motivation
Javascript/DOM support varies hugely between HTML and SVG browsers, there are often few resources on these browsers even from the developers. There's little knowledge of which is the most appropriate method to use to gain widespread support in your scripts.
A single resource listing the supported core javascript methods, and DOM objects/methods would provide this. It would also enable user agent authors to see which methods were important to develop to ensure their browsers were maximally compatible.
Current Materials
A quick survey of the materials I know about, any additions you know the address.
DOM/Compatibility resources
- W3C DOM Compatibility overview DOM support from Peter-Paul Koch.
- Erm, that's it...
DOM testsuites
- W3C DOM Compatibility overview DOM support tests from Peter-Paul Koch.
- W3 DOM test suite
- SVG DOM test suite
Requirements
- Test Suite: Pages which test the support of methods, these could either be fully automated, or interactive, interactivity will be needed for event checking, but a lot of core script, and the simple of existance of methods with the correct type can be fully automatic.
- Standardised test result format, so results from multiple tests and testers can be aggregrated.
- User Interface to the data - the raw data is a harder a problem.
- Wiki-esque page on each property/ua/etc. so free-form notes about each can be added seperate to a test-suite.
The biggest problem to solve before any real work can begin, is the format of the test-results, this has to be flexible enough to deal with anything we're going to throw at it, but also simple enough to be understood by the million-monkeys we're going to get to do the actual work. Also need to be extensible enough to be extended when we realise we've left out huge bits six months from now.
Developing interfaces to the raw data will be easy enough, we can distribute the data and develop as many interfaces as people are interested, each focussing on a different view, ideally a single site would be good, but freedom to distribute the data may be better, to let the good interfaces bloom.
Development
Developing the initial syntax, it will need a few very committed people to work out the syntax, and put the basic framework in place, after that a larger group will be needed to design all the tests, hopefully then the million-monkeys will come along and complete the job.
This being a 21st century internet project, the appropriate methods of communication are likely the 40 year old technology of email and IRC (IRC has proven a very successful low-cost mechanism for such collaboration, used by the W3, and open source development. freenode.net provide good support in this area.)
Interested?
Any comments on this document, please send them to me. If there's enough interest in the project to get it started, I'll set up a mailing list etc. to get things started