Should specifications be HTML pages or downloadable documents?
- Maintained HTML summaries with version context
- Controlled downloadable technical documents
Choose: Use maintained HTML for public discovery and pair it with a controlled download only when the document, rights, version, effective date, scope, owner, and retirement behavior are clear.
Tradeoff: HTML is easier to search, update, and make accessible, but it may omit document structure customers expect. Downloads preserve controlled formatting, though stale copies can circulate after replacement and need explicit version discipline.