Re: Participating in public forums only

Hello David!

On Dec 14, 2007 6:03 PM, L. David Baron <dbaron@dbaron.org> wrote:
>
> I've informed the CSS working group that I am no longer
> participating in member-only mailing lists or meetings.  I believe
> the member-confidential nature of the group hurts the future
> development of CSS by making the group:
>
>  * fail to accept the contributions of many who would like to
>    contribute to CSS and
>
>  * get mired in debates and stalling tactics that companies
>    would not be comfortable using in public.
>
> I still intend to participate in any discussions that take place on
> www-style, public-css-testsuite, and other public forums.
>
> I support rechartering the CSS working group as a public group.
>

Interesting thoughts!  IANAL, but ..

It's worth noting that it is a violation of US Anti-Trust law for
standards to be developed in private or even moderated forums -
probably for many of the same reasons that you are concerned here.
IETF has long violated this for the DNS group inure to the benefit of
one vendor, under the auspices of doing just the opposite.

I think it's safe to say that the w3c would want to avoid that sort of
perception.

> (That said, I disagree with a good bit of Andy Clarke's post at
> http://www.stuffandnonsense.co.uk/malarkey/more/css_unworking_group/
> although I agree with some of it.  More on that later, perhaps.)
>

I also disagree with some of the ideas here, I think the concerns of
browser authors are just as important as the concerns of content
authors, and that an unbalanced process which ignores the concerns of
either side will inevitably produce a less-than-ideal standard.

As a stakeholder in the future of the web, I'm concerned that this
standard is developed out of my view.  It may, in fact, hurt Opera's
case that they are using the US courts to promote use of a standard
that is developed in violation of antitrust law - making them equally
guilty parties.

I think this whole situation is bringing to light things which need be
to lit up.

-- 
Justin Alan Ryan
Interaction Architect, VonGogo Foundation
Volunteer, ASA SF
http://www.bitmonk.net/
* : +1-415-226-1199

"We can't solve problems
 by using the same kind
 of thinking we used
 when we created them."
   -Albert Einstein

Received on Saturday, 15 December 2007 18:47:02 UTC