Will CSS 3 still allow omitting final semicolons?

Question

There seems to be a breaking (i.e. backwards-incompatible) change in the CSS Syntax Module Level 3 specification upcoming draft: trailing semicolon after the last declaratio

Answer 1

This is an example of the 'separator-terminator' problem. Evidently CSS 3 has moved from the semicolon being a separator to the semicolon being a terminator. That means it is required after every element, not just between the elements. Pascal (separator) and C (terminator) provide other examples. This leads to apparent anomalies in Pascal such as semicolon being illegal before 'else' or 'until'. Why CSS 3 adopted a CSS-2-incompatible rule is beyond me, and whether implementations will insist on it is another matter, but the intent of the quotation is clear: it's a terminator and must therefore be present on all entries including the last.