- From: Richard Suematsu <rich@mantacomputer.com>
- Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 01:54:33 -1000
- To: www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org
What's wrong? These companies can't compete on their own. The role of a stardards body is to establish a framework that everybody can use. SQL is a good example. Every database vendor implements part or all of the SQL stardard, but also provides extensions to it. These extension are not part of the stardard, but the database vendors use these extensions to differentiate their product from others. W3C has setup a good set of stanards for the Web. If some users have other needs, a company can provide for those needs as an extension to those standards. Flash is a good example of an extension that has very good market share. But Macromedia is not pushing for Flash to become a W3C standard as far as I know. If Apple wants Quicktime to become a W3C standard, how will they accomplish to W3C goal of being non-discriminitory. Will Apple make Quicktime for Linux, OS/2, Be, Amiga, Irix, BSD, etc. Most or all of the W3C standards are horizontal -- they solve a wide variety of problems. I can't even think of something that a Microsoft or Apple may have as a patent that is need to solve a horizontal problem. If its vertical, it doesn't really need to be a W3C standard. They can compete with everybody else in that vertical market.
Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 17:52:40 UTC