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RE: Standards (yet again) was RE: Use of XML ?

• From: "Bullard, Claude L (Len)" <clbullar@i...>
• To: Richard Tobin <richard@c...>
• Date: Fri, 03 Aug 2001 10:36:25 -0500

I've never seen that written down although 
it like concepts of standards may be one 
of those urban myths.  Maybe that is what 
some W3C members think they are doing.

Except I don't think the MS domination 
is hindered by the W3C.  It may in fact make 
it more possible except not by proprietary 
formats.   I don't blame MS; they are in business 
and if as this thread seems to indicate, there 
are no rules, no governance, then there is 
no fault when they embrace and extend because 
that is precisely what XML is, yes?

HTML and XML are not public assets.  They 
are W3C products.  They are public specs. 
The Sun patent is still standing.  

We're quibbling words not effects.  Part of the 
problem of "Standards" "Specifications" etc. 
is precisely that we don't have a meaning for 
these, so when we cite them, we have to divine 
intent or lock it down in a contract somewhere 
such that are reasonable means for redress.  
Otherwise, it is all rhetoric and rhetoric 
is more powerful than logic if all you need 
to get a decision is to ask a group of 
vendors in a room to raise their hands, 
in the presence of the press, 
or to respond when asked if the intent 
of a standard should be followed, "I have 
my own ideas about how to use standards."

Len 
http://www.mp3.com/LenBullard

Ekam sat.h, Vipraah bahudhaa vadanti.
Daamyata. Datta. Dayadhvam.h


-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Tobin [mailto:richard@c...]

>Because there is now relentless and seemingly
>unstoppable privatization of public assets.

I had always thought that one of the functions of the W3C was to
prevent that.  HTML and XML are public assets even though the W3C is
not a government-sponsored standards body, and it seems likely that
without them Microsoft would dominate the market with some
proprietary, non-interoperable equivalent.

Similarly the W3C tries to limit the damage caused by such nonsense as
Sun's XLink patent.  Maybe it doesn't succeed, but it seems to be on
the right side.

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