> For HTML this may have been the case, but market forces > did force the companies to adopt the core standards > fairly quickly. That's not stopping them from adding > features (and the W3C isn't demanding that they don't) > but it does level the playing field.
So, again, what did the W3C contribute to this process? Considering that the "core standards" were often driven by what vendors introduced in their products? When did the TABLE tag get introduced into the HTML standard - HTML 4? > I'm just put off by the extreme nature of your comments. There's no need to be put off; it's meant purely as an observation. > Also, and I'm worried that people simply don't know what > the W3C IS anymore, please remember that the vendors you're > talking about are not at odds with the W3C, they ARE the W3C. > It's a mostly vendor-based group with ideas and direction > coming from the vendor community. To call the vendors a "community" certainly weakens the value of the word. They're direct competitors, and each values interoperability only to the extent that it's in its own interest. > Is there no room for moderation? Can you honestly say XML > achieved the widespread adoption it enjoys solely due to > vendor implementations? How about HTTP? Yes, I can say both of those things. I can also say that vendors may have used those standards because of the pressure applied by their customers, who want interoperability. My statement was simply meant to point out that the W3C doesn't make anything, in any meaningful sense. I don't dislike the W3C, and I prefer their standards to the defacto "standards" of individual vendors, but it's unrealistic to say they're in control of what happens, because they're not. > Lastly would it be so bad if, as you say, that the W3C > "only" helped vendors do what they want to do? Assuming > this means "in the least disruptive way" isn't that a good, > needed and noble purpose? How would the landscape look > today if there were no HTML or HTTP standards? I think you're reading too much intent into my previous post. I'm simply saying that standards bodies don't drive development, not that they're bad or useless or that we shouldn't have them. However, as a case in point, compare SVG to Flash, and ask yourself which is more likely to succeed, and why. Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software http://www.figleaf.com/ voice: (202) 797-5496 fax: (202) 797-5444 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=4 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=4 FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq Signup for the Fusion Authority news alert and keep up with the latest news in ColdFusion and related topics. http://www.fusionauthority.com/signup.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.4
