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> Are the W3C implementations *reference* implementations
> or *sample* implementations? IOW, how is the implementation
> tied to the specification in terms of features and proof
> of conforming and compliant implementation? Are any public source?
> Are they tied normatively to the spec or informatively?
They are sample implementations, W3C doesn't endorse one implementation
by giving it a seal of approval as a reference implementation.
>
> Anyone can code anything. That doesn't mean it works as a
> goodness proof or can be used to test, validate, or verify
> conformance and compliance.
I think the W3C process is based on the assumption that a Rec should not
be finalised until it has been proved to be implementable, and the
existence of an implementation would seem to provide some proof that it
is indeed implementable.
Of course the fact that an implementation exists doesn't prove that it
is fit for purpose (which is what I assume you mean by "goodness"), but
it is evidence that someone, at least, considers it worth the cost of
implementing. And of course it's not a conformance test - that's a quite
separate process.
Michael Kay
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