clarify to what extent new system color are about system settings versus browser settings

[dbaron]

A number of new system color keywords in css-color-4 (in particular, Canvas, CanvasText, LinkText, VisitedText, and ActiveText) have the characteristic that they're both browser settings and system settings. In other words, there might be an operating system color for link text configured that's different from the color for link text configured in the browser.

I think it should be clearer which of these colors the keywords are intended to reference. I don't have a strong opinion, although I think I'm inclined towards the browser setting for them rather than the system one. (If there are good use cases for both, it's possible two sets of keywords might be needed. Gecko currently has -moz--prefixed equivalents for both variants of LinkText.)

[dbaron]

(This came from Mozilla bug 1590894.)

[svgeesus]

Normally I would expect browser settings to override more general system setting. But from what I understand, forced color mode is a system-level override for all applications. So the answer depends on whether forced color mode is in effect.

[css-meeting-bot]

The CSS Working Group just discussed Clarify to what extent new system color are about system settings versus browser settings, and agreed to the following:

• RESOLVED: Add clarifying text that all system values are reflecting the browser settings

The full IRC log of that discussion

<dael> Topic: Clarify to what extent new system color are about system settings versus browser settings
<dael> github: https://github.com//issues/4533
<dael> dbaron: To some degree a question. Might help to get it sorted out for us to impl. A bunch of new system color keywords in Colors 4. One thing unusual is they're both and OS and a browser setting and may be different
<dael> dbaron: Are these about getting browser or OS setting?
<dael> fantasai: Browser setting
<dael> TabAtkins: Agree
<dael> fantasai: It should default to match OS but if user sets different we should honor
<dael> AmeliaBR: Should always be about respecting user preference. If set something specific in browser it should override the OS.
<dael> Rossen_: From tooling you should be able to allow the dev tools to change and override system colors and they see fit so authors can play.
<dael> Rossen_: Browser has the right to override the system color. Author running code should never see system except through lens of browser.
<dael> Rossen_: Back to issue; dbaron does that answer your question?
<dael> dbaron: It does. That was my preference.
<dael> dbaron: Good to get it written so can land patches
<dael> Rossen_: Do you prop clarify in spec?
<dael> dbaron: I think it should yes
<dael> Rossen_: Objections to adding clarifying text that all system values are reflecting the browser settings
<dael> RESOLVED: Add clarifying text that all system values are reflecting the browser settings

[svgeesus]

Clarified by dd84ae8 and 1e166b9