At 1:02 pm +1000 11/5/06, Andrew Patterson wrote:
[...]formats like JPEG and PNG. SGML was the grand completely
general markup language - yet HTML succeeded because
it solved a majority of problems for the majority of users (and
was implementable) (though don't take this as an admiration for
HTML as a standard - noone should have to live through
a browser standards war ever again).
Andrew
html succeeded because it enabled the www - an internet people could
use by pointing and clicking. It did something useful. That's why it
succeeded.
We live daily with incompatibility problems caused by vendors
implementing non-standard html. I am still living that standards
"war", because nobody wants to stick with the standard.
The standard is not the issue. The issue is getting people on the
ground to comply with it on a voluntary basis. Basically, if it's not
mandatory, nobody gives a (*^&%$#.
Where standards are enforced, it is through legislation. That's why
we can make a phone call anywhere in the world. That's why we can
plug appliances into 3 pin plugs anywhere in Australia.
Ian.
--
Dr Ian R Cheong, BMedSc, FRACGP, GradDipCompSc, MBA(Exec)
Health Informatics Consultant, Brisbane, Australia
Internet: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
(for urgent matters, please send a copy to my practice email as well:
[EMAIL PROTECTED])
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