CSS Working Group’s future
CSS WG Blog – CSS Working Group’s future

(crosspost from http://glazman.org/weblog)
Hello everyone.
Back in March 2008, I was extremely happy to announce my appointment as Co-chairman of the CSS Working Group. Seven years and a half later, it’s time to move on. There are three main reasons to that change, that my co-chair Peter and I triggered ourselves with W3C Management’s agreement:

We never expected to stay in that role 7.5 years. Chris Lilley chaired the CSS Working Group 1712 days from January 1997 (IIRC) to 2001-oct-10 and that was at that time the longest continuous chairing in W3C’s history. Bert Bos chaired it 2337 days from 2001-oct-11 to 2008-mar-05. Peter and I started co-chairing it on 2008-mar-06 and it will end at TPAC 2015. That’s 2790 days so 7 years 7 months and 20 days! I’m not even sure those 2790 days hold a record, Steven Pemberton probably chaired longer. But it remains that our original mission to make the WG survive and flourish is accomplished, and we now need fresher blood. Stability is good, but smart evolution and innovation are better.
Co-chairing a large, highly visible Working Group like the CSS Working Group is not a burden, far from it. But it’s not a light task either. We start feeling the need for a break.
There were good candidates for the role, unanimously respected in the Working Group.

So the time has come. The new co-chairs, Rossen Atanassov from Microsoft and Alan Stearns from Adobe, will take over during the Plenary Meeting of the W3C held in Sapporo, japan, at the end of October and that is A Good Thing™. You’ll find below a copy of my message to W3C.
To all the people I’ve been in touch with while holding my co-chair’s hat: thank you, sincerely and deeply. You, the community around CSS, made everything possible.
Yours truly.
Daniel Glazman
Dear Tim, fellow ACs, fellow Chairs, W3C Staff, CSS WG Members,
After seven years and a half, it’s time for me to pass the torch of the CSS Working Group’s co-chairmanship. 7.5 years is a lot and fresh blood will bring fresh perspectives and new chairing habits. At a time the W3C revamps its activities and WGs, the CSS Working Group cannot stay entirely outside of that change even if its structure, scope and culture are retained. Peter and I decided it was time to move on and, with W3M’s agreement, look for new co-chairs.
I am really happy to leave the Group in Alan’s and Rossen’s smart and talented hands, I’m sure they will be great co-chairs and I would like to congratulate and thank them for accepting to take over. I will of course help the new co-chairs on request for a smooth and easy transition, and I will stay in the CSS WG as a regular Member.
I’d like to deeply thank Tim for appointing me back in 2008, still one of the largest surprises of my career!
I also wish to warmly thank my good friends Chris Lilley, Bert Bos and Philippe Le Hégaret from W3C Staff for their crucial daily support during all these years. Thank you Ralph for the countless transition calls! I hope the CSS WG still holds the record for the shortest positive transition call!
And of course nothing would have been possible without all the members of the CSS Working Group, who tolerated me for so long and accepted the changes we implemented in 2008, and all our partners in the W3C (in particular the SVG WG) or even outside of it, so thank you all. The Membership of the CSS WG is a powerful engine and, as I often say, us co-chairs have only been a drop of lubricant allowing that engine to run a little bit better, smoother and without too much abrasion.
Last but not least, deep thanks to my co-chair and old friend Peter Linss for these great years; I accepted that co-chair’s role to partner with Peter and enjoyed every minute of it. A long ride but such a good one!
I am confident the CSS Working Group is and will remain a strong and productive Group, with an important local culture. The CSS Working Group has both style and class (pun intended), and it has been an honour to co-chair it.
Thank you.
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