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> Suggestions to use <cite> fail as not all footnotes are citations. Using <aside> overloads the element, creates ambiguities as to usage, and leaves us with no

> Suggestions to use <cite> fail as not all footnotes are citations. Using <aside> overloads the element, creates ambiguities as to usage, and leaves us with nonstandard footnote mechanisms. I agree with all of your conclusions except this one. You appear to be contradicting yourself. How does <aside> overload the element? It does the opposite, by semantically separating <cite>s from mere textual notes and letting the client present the two however the user wants. I agree that within each category, it should be up to the presentation layer whether they are popups or footnotes or endnotes or just hidden altogether, but the distinction between citations and notes is an important one that can't be easily inferred. So what's the problem?

dredmorbius 6y ago
An aside might be something other than a note. Cite is a subset of notes. Aside is ... at best a superset, if not something independent. If you want uniform styling or behaviour, you'd need to distinguish aside notes from other asides, meaning page- and site-specific conventions, and no uniform and predictable practice. Notes are sufficiently well defined and utilised that they deserve a dedicated element.