RAND: Friend or foe ? (or is w3c just abolishing themself)

I fail to se how in the world anyone can accept this. (or use it
for that matter)

If w3c really changes to accept the  RAND proposal, they will for
almost sure abolish them self, meaning, no one will use it as a
standard anymore.
--

I am, as chairman for KLID (Commercial Linux Interests in Denmark)
which guides and helps commercial companies here, to use and
understand the concept, not only of Linux and OSS, but also the
use of standards.

If the RAND proposal is passed, is will not anymore be possible to
recommend any standard, thus it may not be possible to use part of it
(unless you pay up front).

I really only see this as another version of large companies policy of
"I scratch your back, you scratch mine (And f... all them that don't
have a hand big enough to scratch others)".

Meaning

Only big companies have the cash to make a patent worldwide valid,
so only big companies can benefit from the RAND. And if any small
company (or single persons) come up with an new idea, it will for
sure, at some point violate some of the big companies "rights" and it
is therefor not possible to take a patent. (unless you are that big
you have an patent you can swap with...)

My prediction is that, if the RAND is passed, companies will
start the ether totally ignoring it, and/or make an non standard solution
as an workaround. (Just see picture compression techniques, have
they been open and free from the start, we wouldn't have that many
different non standard, non free, limited platform transport ways.)

And if we don't use standards, we don't need the w3c to control them.

-

So CHAOS and MAYHEM is coming, do you really vote for that ?

(If you are, the pass the RAND, but don't expect it to be specially
 useful..)

My opinion is, RAND is for the BIGones (and then f... the small)


- Niels Svennekjær
  Chairman, KLID (Commercial Linux Interest in Denmark)


--

PS. Please note, that the word "RAND" is an registered trademark,
    did anyone ask an permission to use it ?

Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 15:19:44 UTC