Rechartering 2025-2027

[svgeesus]

Our current charter ends 30 October 2025. I have drafted a new charter which is still incomplete, there are some details to be filled in for the initial text and exclusion drafts for example. Also, a lot of the text is boilerplate, taken from this template.

However, the Background, Scope, Timeline and Coordinaton sections are specific to this group and could use some review.

Horizontal review (not started yet, but soon) and general charter refinement is tracked here

• [wg/png] PNG Working Group Charter strategy#514

[ProgramMax]

Thank you for doing this.
I'm not sure what action you want from me. I agree and approve of everything I read so far. Am I assigned simply to be tagged on this? Or am I supposed to take some action?

[chrisn]

LGTM, but a couple of minor suggestions, feel free to ignore:

Motivation and background - I'd prefer to include a bit of text to what PNG is and its significance (although that should be obvious), e.g., as a much shortened version of the Background from the 2021 charter https://www.w3.org/Graphics/PNG/png-2021.html.

Scope - The third item is phrased more as a consideration, so I'd suggest moving it to the end of the section. Also, I suggest that HDR and compression be mentioned in the scope, as these features do reflect the scope of the planned work.

I also noticed a minor nit, in the Charter History the link to the 2023 charter actually goes to the 2025 draft charter.

[chrisn]

Oh, one other thing ... someone on the mailing list suggested adding a chunk for C2PA metadata. I agree with Leonard's comment on not seeing the need, but if there is interest to work on it, it likely should be in the charter, and we'd need to decide which edition.

[svgeesus]

I'm not sure what action you want from me. I agree and approve of everything I read so far. Am I assigned simply to be tagged on this? Or am I supposed to take some action?

Nothing specific, just making sure we are all on the same page for the next charter.

[svgeesus]

I also noticed a minor nit, in the Charter History the link to the 2023 charter actually goes to the 2025 draft charter.

Oops, fixed

[svgeesus]

Scope - The third item is phrased more as a consideration, so I'd suggest moving it to the end of the section.

Agreed, done

[svgeesus]

Also, I suggest that HDR and compression be mentioned in the scope, as these features do reflect the scope of the planned work.

I added some wording does that look okay?

[chrisn]

Yes, thanks, all looks good.

[svgeesus]

Oh, one other thing ... someone on the mailing list suggested adding a chunk for C2PA metadata. I agree with Leonard's comment on not seeing the need, but if there is interest to work on it, it likely should be in the charter, and we'd need to decide which edition.

I added a general statement about metadata (covers C2PA, but not restricted to that). If we come to a decision in the next call about which edition it fits, I can put that in the charter; for now I left it unassigned but clearly in scope.

[svgeesus]

Motivation and background - I'd prefer to include a bit of text to what PNG is and its significance (although that should be obvious), e.g., as a much shortened version of the Background from the 2021 charter https://www.w3.org/Graphics/PNG/png-2021.html.

That text was in the first charter because it was motivating starting a new group, and indeed motivating doing the work at W3C. For the current charter, that was reduced down a lot and I had intended to keep the proposed one fairly brief too (but it is rewritten compared to the current charter).

Looking at the 2021 charter maybe something drawn from the first and second paragraphs could be added, like

The Portable Network Graphics (PNG) raster image format was first developed in 1994 and standardized as a W3C Recommendation in 1996. Following widespread adoption, PNG Second Edition became a W3C Recommendation in 2003. PNG Third Edition, which became a W3C Recommendation in 2025, was a major update which added Animated PNG and HDR capabilities. It is also widely implemented.
... (carries on with what we already have)

[svgeesus]

@chrisn Does that addition to Motivation & Background look good?

[chrisn]

That's perfect, yes. Thank you!