The main impetus for this may be from Microsoft

We can see this W3C initiative not only as an attack on the traditional 
underpinnings of the internet, but through that as an attack on open source 
software such as Linux.  Consider these quotes from Microsoft's internal 
"Halloween II" memo:

    "Beat commodity protocols / services"

        "Linux's homebase is currently commodity network and server 
        infrastructure. By folding extended functionality into today's 
        commodity services and create new protocols, we raise the bar & 
        change the rules of the game."

and later:

    "The effect of patents and copyright in combatting Linux remains to
    be investigated."

This W3C initiative seems all too well aligned with those observations.

Perhaps we should focus on the possibility that Microsoft has exercised 
undue influence in this particular W3C initiative, and perhaps this is an 
question that should be examined within the scope of the current anti-trust 
procedings.

It would serve Microsoft's purposes very well indeed to engineer new, 
patent-based, barriers to entry for internet-based applications, and at the 
same time erode the long-term credibility of the W3C as a standards setting 
body.

--
Daniel

Received on Monday, 1 October 2001 13:38:44 UTC