Fraser Farrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Although there were several Unix publishing applications already in
>existence (eg TeX ane SGML) Tim considered these to be too complex for
>his needs. He produced a winner and HTML 1.0 was formally defined in (I
>think) 1989. The rest is history.
>
>Sometimes I wonder what Tim thinks of the subsequent development of HTML
>and the various attempts by certain companies to "improve" it.
Technically, HTML 1.0 was a sub-set of SGML commands, since SGML
was evolved to handle highly complex documents like books which
included 6 levels of headings, footnotes and endnotes, tables
and equations, indexes and so on--all the apparatus required for
publishing a well-made scholarly work on a scientific or technical
subject. (So was TeX.) Most people who would have some use for
a page description language (SGML = Standardized General Mark-up
Language) would never have a need for most of the SGML system, so
making a "lowest common denominator" sub-set made sense.
Of course, the problem is that people immediately started to
forget why it was limited in the first place and started adding
things to it--just as people started forgetting why using plain
ASCII for electronic data exchanges was a good idea and began
to deluge the 'Net with proprietary-format file attachments.
In 1989-90, the idea was to make the HTML document retain its
essential features regardless of what platform or browser the
user had but very soon thereafter, Megasludge started working
its own special brand of magic by incorporating all kinds of
non-standard "extended HTML" codes which screwed things up,
and responding to all complaints with "tell your friends and
relations to buy OUR browser, which will solve the problems".
They have done the same again--with each subsequent agreement
on what would constitute standard HTML, they added a bunch of
non-standard stuff to their version, and so did their
competitors. The net result, of course, is that "HTML" no
longer means "usable by anyone on any computer with any
browser", which is a real drag.
I don't know Tim Berners-Lee but expect he has very mixed
feelings--proud to have made the Web widely accessible and
sad that people will not respect standards ensuring the
public good if there is any chance they can gain a commercial
advantage by disregarding the standards. Sadly, largely
thanks to Megasludge, "ethics" and "socially responsible"
are obsolete terms in the wonderful world of software.
Regards,
Judyth the Grouch
--I don't JUST hate Windows 95!!!
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