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August 12th, 2020 × #CSS#Standards#Processes

How does stuff get added to CSS? Adam Argyle answers!

Adam Argyle explains the overall process for how new features and specifications get added to CSS, ranging from initial proposals to testing, implementing, and eventually becoming a standard.

Adam Argyle

Adam Argyle Guest

Wes Bos

Wes Bos Host

Scott Tolinski

Scott Tolinski Host

or
Show Notes Transcript

In this episode of Syntax, Scott and Wes talk with Adam Argyle about how stuff gets added to CSS.

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Guests

Show Notes

01:48 - Who are you and what do you do?

04:13 - How does stuff get added to CSS?

06:44 - Github issue proposal or public document

  • Shares use case
  • Problem made succinct
  • StrawMan solution
  • JS demo

10:12 - Time

  • Multiple proposals
  • Comments
  • Back and forth
  • Bikeshedding

20:00 - Editor’s draft spec (Stage 1)

  • CSS typed
  • Examples
  • Provided code logic
  • Implementor interest
    • Can go stale
    • Explainer
  • Implementor
    • Prototype behind flags in browser
    • Intent to Prototype (I2P)

24:42 - Working Draft (Stage 2)

  • WPTs
  • Prototype behind flags in browser
  • Needs two or more to graduate
  • Intent to Ship (I2S)

24:54 - Conference Calls

  • Around 10 items to discuss
    • Issues or proposals
  • Flexible list
    • Things can be injected as emergency
    • Things can get punted to the next call

25:26 - Face 2 Face (F2F)

  • Four times a year
  • Presentations
  • Breakout sessions
  • Houdini focus groups, etc
  • Try to resolve as many Github issues as possible

27:34 - Candidate Recommendation (Stage 3)

  • Could still be behind a flag
    • Edge cases are being worked through
    • WPTs and standards are being nudged into a final state

44:20 - Roles

  • Spec author
  • Community Member
    • Print
    • Color
    • Internationalization
    • Box Model
    • AOM
    • JS APIs
    • Renderers
    • etc
  • Implementor
  • It’s like pub/sub, where spec authors pub and implementors sub, and the community tries to help shape the message that’s published while supporting the subscribers who need to implement and make it real

46:32 - Questions

  • What language is CSS written in?
  • What's the deal with Houdini?

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