Re: [ACTION 897] Establish best current practice regarding withrawal of use of X- form

Luca,

Transcoders are often useful to end users where the websites they are 
trying to use have not (yet)
optimized to their mobile device.

They are really bad where they either hinder site owners benefiting 
from device functionaity / knowledge
or if they reduce functionality or security by being interposed at 
the wrong time.

Therefore they are not a "hack", but some transcoder vendors like to 
brush over the truth / problems
and because most Mobile operators have limited knowledge or 
understanding in this area, they
are easily misled.

To be honest, I think W3C has become largely irrelevant in the scheme 
of things, and hardly
ever comes up in discussions / communications with web site builders.

Ray

seemAt 16:21 02/02/2009, Luca Passani wrote:

>Charles McCathieNevile wrote:
>>On Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:54:44 +0100, Luca Passani <passani@eunet.no> wrote:
>>
>>>Maybe everything would be solved in a more logical and coherent 
>>>way if the group accepted the viewpoint that transcoding is a 
>>>"hack", no matter how you look at it.
>>
>>Maybe, but I don't see any clear reason why one would accept that 
>>viewpoint - it is not self-evident to me, and if the group has not 
>>accepted it en masse already that suggests that it is really rather 
>>less than self-evident.
>
>No Charles. *It is* self evident. The only reason why you are 
>denying reality is that transcoder vendors here have a commercial 
>interest in using W3C as a selling tool for their hacks. Opera is 
>doing exactly the same with OperaMini (which explains your position here).
>By promoting transcoder interests within BPWG in the face of 
>reality, Opera is losing the credibility it had accrued over the 
>years as the champion of standards and developers.
>
>Transcoding is a hack. A textbook example.
>
>Luca
>
>

Ray Anderson   CEO   Bango plc     Voice: +44 8700 340 
361   ray@bango.com   GSM: +44 7768 454545