Please see the current RFC discussion around CSS level categorization.
CSS3 was an umbrella term that defines modern CSS to this day. The CSS3 grouping of features included level-3 specs for new features from typography to selectors and backgrounds. From this point on, each individual CSS spec has been numbered individually. However, CSS3 is still the most common term developers have to define the capabilities of modern CSS. We see this across the web, from the way educational institutions teach CSS to the job requirements on resumes. This group serves to modernize the general understanding of CSS in the wider developer community by labeling feature sets beyond the initial set from CSS3 in an easy-to-understand way, and help developers upskill their understanding of CSS across the ecosystem.
The CSS-Next Community Group aims to improve the overall experience of people developing for the Web Platform, and elevate the Web Platform itself through identifying features that can be labeled as broadly available or new/next-level. This will allow web developers to set their learning aims and better understand how the ecosystem is evolving over time.
As part of this charter, the CSS-Next Community Group is focusing its activities on three main pillars:
- Research the community’s understanding of modern CSS
- Help educate the community about the availability and compatibility of modern CSS features
- Building a shared understanding of CSS feature evolution since CSS3 and grouping those features into easily-digestible levels (such as CSS4, CSS5, etc.)
- Affecting spec definitions. This is not a group that would define the working process or affect spec naming for formal working groups, such as the CSSWG
- Official developer documentation, e.g. MDN
- Any browser specification work - this should be conducted in the relevant standardization or pre-standardization forum (i.e. CSSWG or OpenUI)
- Defining and educating on “best practices” for developers
The group will conduct all of its technical work in public, on GitHub repositories, with a supporting mailing list for logistical and administrative purposes.
The Community Group is open for public participation. A public summary or minutes will be made available via the GIthub repository.
To be effective, the Community Group expects to coordinate with the following other groups and projects that have direct intersection with its scope:
- WebDX Community Group for community messaging and collaboration
The group chairs can propose the group adopt an amended charter, editing the text using the Decision Process described below.
The decision on whether to adopt the amended charter is made by conducting a 30-days vote on the proposed new charter. The new charter, if approved, takes effect on either the proposed date in the charter itself, or 7 days after the result of the election is announced, whichever is later. A new charter must receive 2/3 of the votes cast in the approval vote to pass. The group may make simple corrections to the charter such as deliverable dates by the regular group decision process rather than this charter amendment process. The group will use the amendment process for any substantive changes to the goals, scope, deliverables, decision process or rules for amending the charter.