XMLHttpRequest Level 1- specification history

Hi all,

 

http://www.w3.org/TR/XMLHttpRequest/#specification-history 

 

In the very beginning of the history part, we read 

 

"The XMLHttpRequest <http://www.w3.org/TR/XMLHttpRequest/#xmlhttprequest>
object was initially defined as part of the WHATWG's HTML effort. (Long
after Microsoft shipped an implementation.) "

 

To me this is ambiguous:

 

It could either mean 

 

1.       Long after Microsoft had shipped a related implementation, the
XMLHttpRequest <http://www.w3.org/TR/XMLHttpRequest/#xmlhttprequest>  object
was defined as part of the WHATWG's HTML effort

or

2.        The XMLHttpRequest
<http://www.w3.org/TR/XMLHttpRequest/#xmlhttprequest>  object was initially
defined as part of the WHATWG's HTML effort. (Much later, Microsoft shipped
an implementation.)

 

I suspect that 2, rather than 1 is meant, but given that Microsoft's ActiveX
extensions allowed something functionally similar, the earlier
interpretation might be found by readers. It's not clear why Microsoft
should be mentioned at all, if in fact, their implementation was much later.
Do we always mention companies who are the last to implement things in spec
histories? 

 

At any rate, to avoid the confusion, (and if it is, in some way, important
to the historical narrative to point out that Microsoft was the last to
implement this particular thing)  I would recommend the rewrite suggested by
#2.

 

Cheers

David