Re: Definition of the Public Web

On Thu, 27 Jun 2013 20:22:39 +0400, Appelquist Daniel (UK)  
<Daniel.Appelquist@telefonica.com> wrote:

> Might it be useful for this group to attempt to define what is meant by  
> the term "public Web?" It's a term I think gets thrown around a lot but  
> it seems to not have a formal definition. And if this group is going to  
> try to focus its attention on the public Web then maybe we would benefit  
> from having a shared definition of this term?
>
> Would someone like to take a crack at a straw man?

"Web": Actually this is not a clear term, although to varying extents it  
includes things that use URIs, things that connect with HTTP, things that  
run in browsers, things that are made with HTML, XML, CSS, Javascript,  
things that HTML pages connect to or include, and so on. It is a case of  
"I know it when I see it".

"Public Web": The stuff that doesn't require a login, specific device, or  
impose a similar restriction to be able to decide if it is Web or not.

If this seems tongue-in-cheek it is because I think it is not a very  
fruitful task. I also think that a focus on what is public should be a  
moderate preference rather than a formal way of scoping work, otherwise  
the TAG risks being irrelevant to vast numbers of developers who work on  
intranets, sites that require an agreement to use, and so on, for whom the  
TAG's work is potentially extremely valuable.

cheers

chaals

-- 
Charles McCathie Nevile - Consultant (web standards) CTO Office, Yandex
       chaals@yandex-team.ru         Find more at http://yandex.com

Received on Thursday, 27 June 2013 16:48:03 UTC