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Make it so that all RECs can gain new features & simplify terminology accordingly #1168

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Make it so that all RECs can gain new features & simplify terminology accordingly #1168

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f7a7617
Allow new features in all Recommendations
frivoal Jun 11, 2026
5410f8a
Stop distinguishing between different types of Last Call for Review
frivoal Jun 11, 2026
23faa4c
Stop distinguishing different types of candidate/proposed amendments
frivoal Jun 11, 2026
9182024
Fix typo
frivoal Jun 12, 2026
bef2f75
Phrasing tweak
frivoal Jun 12, 2026
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Expand Up @@ -3363,17 +3363,21 @@ Errata Management</h4>
be annotated inline
alongside the affected [=technical report=] text
or at the start or end of the most relevant section(s).
Inline errata are treated as <a href="#class-2">class 2 changes</a>,
and are published accordingly.

An [=erratum=] <em class="rfc2119">may</em> be accompanied by a
[=candidate amendment=] proposing a solution to the issue.

<h4 id=candidate-amendments oldids=candidate-changes>
Candidate Amendments</h4>

An [=erratum=] <em class="rfc2119">may</em> be accompanied by a non-normative,
<dfn>candidate correction</dfn> approved by [=group decision=].
When annotated inline,
errata--
including their [=candidate corrections=]--
must be marked as such,
are treated as <a href="#correction-classes">class 2 changes</a>,
A <dfn>candidate amendment</dfn> is a non-normative annotation,
marked as such,
integrated into a [=technical report=] by [=group decision=]
to indicate a potential [=substantive change=]
that has not yet been formally adopted.
They are treated as <a href="#class-2">class 2 changes</a>,
and are published accordingly.

Note: Annotating changes in this way allows more mature documents
Expand All @@ -3383,13 +3387,6 @@ Candidate Amendments</h4>
sufficient review or implementation experience
to be normatively incorporated into the specification proper.

A <dfn>candidate addition</dfn> is similar to a [=candidate correction=],
except that it proposes a new feature
rather than an error correction.

[=Candidate corrections=] and [=candidate additions=] are collectively known as
<dfn lt="candidate amendment">candidate amendments</dfn>.

In addition to their actual [[#maturity-stages|maturity stage]],
[=published=] [=REC Track=] documents with [=candidate amendments=] are also considered,
for the purpose of the W3C Patent Policy [[PATENT-POLICY]],
Expand All @@ -3406,7 +3403,7 @@ Maintenance Without a Group</h4>
<ol>
<li><a href="#class-1">class 1 changes</a>;
<li>inline [=errata=];
<li>[=candidate corrections=],
<li>[=candidate amendments=] not including <a href="#class-4">class 4 changes</a>,
which <em class=rfc2119>must</em> be marked as <dfn>Team correction</dfn>;
<li><a href="#class-2">class 2 changes</a> other than inline [=errata=] and [=Team corrections=].
</ol>
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -3635,15 +3632,6 @@ Maturity Stages on the Recommendation Track</h4>
(in accordance with [[#revising-rec]])
to address [=editorial change|editorial=] or [=substantive change|substantive=] issues
that are discovered later.
However, <a href=#class-4>new features</a> can only be added
if the document already identifies itself
as intending to <dfn>allow new features</dfn>.
Adding or removing this allowance is a [=substantive change=].
Such an allowance cannot be added
to a [=technical report=] previously published as a [=Recommendation=]
that did not allow such changes;
this requires a new [=technical report=]
(which could, for example, be similarly named but with an incremented version number).

As technology evolves,
a [=W3C Recommendation=] may become:
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -4161,20 +4149,10 @@ Requirements for Transition</h5>
<em class="rfc2119">must</em> identify, in the document, where errata are tracked.
</ul>

Additionally,
if the document has previously been published as a [=W3C Recommendation=], the [=Working Group=]
<em class=rfc2119>must not</em> include any <a href="#correction-classes">class 4 change</a>
to that publication
unless it was explicitly marked as [=allowing new features=],
and <em class=rfc2119>must not</em> include any such marking
if not already present.

If the document's most recent publication is a [=Candidate Recommendation Draft=],
the [=Team=] <em class=rfc2119>must</em> verify
that it contains no changes since the previous [=Candidate Recommendation Snapshot=] other than:
* [=editorial changes=],
* the addition or removal of a statement as to whether the document will [=allow new features=]
after its publication as a [=Recommendation=].
* dropping [=at risk=] features

Otherwise, the [=Working Group=] <em class=rfc2119>must</em> republish it
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -4255,18 +4233,19 @@ Revising a Recommendation: Editorial Changes</h5>
to make this class of change without passing through earlier maturity stages.
(See <a href="#class-1">class 1</a> and <a href="#class-2">class 2 changes</a>.)

<h5 id="revised-rec-substantive">
<h5 id="revised-rec-substantive" oldids="revised-rec-features">
Revising a Recommendation: Substantive Changes</h5>

Tentative corrections (see <a href="#class-3">class 3 changes</a>)
Tentative [=substantive changes=]
(see <a href="#class-3">class 3</a> and <a href="#class-4">class 4 changes</a>.)
<em class=rfc2119>may</em> be annotated into a [=Recommendation=]
using [=candidate corrections=].
using [=candidate amendments=].

Note: [=Candidate corrections=] do not normatively modify the document;
Note: [=Candidate amendments=] do not normatively modify the document;
they editorially indicate how one might do so.
They are therefore published following the provisions of [[#revised-rec-editorial]].

A [=candidate correction=] can be made normative
A [=candidate amendment=] can be made normative
and be folded into the main text of the [=Recommendation=],
once it has satisfied all the same criteria
as the rest of the [=Recommendation=],
Expand All @@ -4283,30 +4262,19 @@ Revising a Recommendation: Substantive Changes</h5>
or, if the relevant criteria are fulfilled,
<a href="#transition-cr">publish as a Candidate Recommendation</a>--
and advance the specification from that state.
(See <a href="#correction-classes">class 3 changes</a>.)

<h5 id="revised-rec-features">
Revising a Recommendation: New Features</h5>

For [=Recommendations=] explicitly identified as [=allow new features|allowing new features=],
tentative new features (see <a href="#correction-classes">class 4 changes</a>)
<em class=rfc2119>may</em> be added as [=candidate additions=] in annotations,
and <a href="#correction-classes">class 4 changes</a> may be normatively incorporated
in the same fashion as <a href="#correction-classes">class 3 changes</a> in [[#revised-rec-substantive]].

Note: Limiting the addition of new features to [=Recommendations=] that explicitly allow them
enables third parties to depend on a stable feature-set for [=Recommendations=] that do not advertise that ability,
as was the case for all [=Recommendations=] prior to the 2020 revision of this Process.

Note: When a [=Recommendation=] does not [=allow new features=],
new features can be added by creating a new [=technical report=]
and following the full process of advancing that [=technical report=] to [=Recommendation=]--
beginning with a new [=First Public Working Draft=].
Such [=technical reports=] could be written to represent
additional modules building on top of the original [=Recommendation=] of the core technology,
or an expanded replacement of the original [=Recommendation=] of the core technology
(in which case the new [=technical report=] will typically have the same name as the original,
with an incremented version number).

<div id=allow-features-note class=note>
<span class=marker>Note:</span>
In earlier version of the Process,
new features (<a href="#class-4">class 4 changes</a>) could only be added to [=Recommendations=]
that had explicitly opted into this ability
prior to their first publication as [=Recommendation=].
Otherwise,
new features could only be added by creating a new [=technical report=]
and following the full process of advancing that [=technical report=] to [=Recommendation=]--
beginning with a new [=First Public Working Draft=].
For simplicity, this restriction has been lifted.
</div>

<h5 id=change-review>
Incorporating Candidate Amendments</h5>
Expand All @@ -4319,16 +4287,9 @@ Incorporating Candidate Amendments</h5>
must be announced to other W3C groups, the public, and the [=Advisory Committee=].
The announcement <em class="rfc2119">must</em>:
<ul>
<li>
Identify whether this is a
<dfn>Last Call for Review of Proposed Corrections</dfn>,
<dfn>Last Call for Review of Proposed Additions</dfn>,
or <dfn>Last Call for Review of Proposed Corrections and Additions</dfn>.

<li>
Identify the specific [=candidate amendments=] under review
as <dfn>proposed amendments</dfn>
(<dfn export>proposed corrections</dfn>/<dfn oldids="proposed-addition" export>proposed additions</dfn>).
as <dfn>proposed amendments</dfn>.

<li>
Specify the deadline for review comments,
Expand All @@ -4345,10 +4306,6 @@ Incorporating Candidate Amendments</h5>
Also, the review initiated by the [=Last Call for Review of Proposed Amendments=]
is an [=Advisory Committee Review=].

Note: [=Last Call for Review of Proposed Additions=] and
[=Last Call for Review of Proposed Corrections and Additions=]
can only be issued for [=Recommendations=] that [=allow new features=].

A [=Working Group=] <em class="rfc2119">may</em> batch
multiple [=proposed amendments=] into a single <a>Last Call for Review of Proposed Amendments</a>.
To facilitate review,
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -4702,7 +4659,7 @@ Revising W3C Statements</h4>
an [=Advisory Committee review=] of the changes it wishes to incorporate.
The specific [=candidate amendments=] under review
<em class=rfc2119>must</em> be identified as [=proposed amendments=]
just as in a [=Last Call for Review of Proposed Corrections=].
just as in a [=Last Call for Review of Proposed Amendments=].

The decision to incorporate [=proposed amendments=] into [=W3C Statement=] is a [=W3C Decision=].
[=Advisory Committee representatives=] may initiate an [=Advisory Committee Appeal=] of the decision.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -5469,6 +5426,37 @@ Appendix A: Retired Terminology</h2>
<dd>
Last defined <a href="https://www.w3.org/2014/Process-20140801/#def-W3CChair">in section 2.2 of the 2014 Process</a>,
now called [=CEO=].

<dt>
<dfn noexport>Allow new features</dfn>
(retired term)
<dd>
Last defined <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/20250818/#allow-new-features">in section 6.3.1 of the 2025 Process</a>.
See also <a href="#allow-features-note">the note</a> at the end of [[#revised-rec-substantive]].

<dt>
<dfn noexport>Candidate correction</dfn> and <dfn noexport>candidate addition</dfn>
(retired terms)
<dd>
Last defined in <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/20250818/#candidate-amendments">section 6.2.5 of the 2025 Process</a>.
Both were subtypes of [=candidate amendment=] and are no longer formally distinguished.

<dt>
<dfn noexport>Proposed corrections</dfn> and <dfn oldids="proposed-addition" export>proposed additions</dfn>
(retired terms)
<dd>
Last defined in <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/20250818/#change-review">section 6.3.10.4 of the 2025 Process</a>.
Both were subtypes of [=proposed amendment=] and are no longer formally distinguished.

<dt>
<dfn noexport>Last Call for Review of Proposed Corrections</dfn>,
<dfn noexport>Last Call for Review of Proposed Additions</dfn>, and
<dfn noexport>Last Call for Review of Proposed Corrections and Additions</dfn>
(retired terms)
<dd>
Last defined in <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/20250818/#change-review">section 6.3.10.4 of the 2025 Process</a>.
All were subtypes of [=Last Call for Review of Proposed Amendments=],
and are no longer formally distinguished.
</dl>

<h2 id="acks" class="non-normative nonum">
Expand Down
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