RE: The Final Word On HTML (fwd)

Once upon a time Jason O'Brien shaped the electrons to say...
>markup language, HTML can and should be developed further to take the   

I vehemently disagree.  If you attempt to do that with HTML you completely
marginalize those with the ability to view it.  HTML is a simple, structural
markup language.  That is all it should be.  It is dumb to attempt to 
reproduce existing systems AGAIN.  

What *should* be encouraged is the use of Java and other portable systems
to do what plugins do today.  The problem with plugins is not that users
need to get them - which is being solved with auto-download coming from both
NS and MS - but that you need to write a plugin not for a browser but for
a browser and platform combination.  I can't use 90%+ of plugins because I
use SunOS and most of them are for Windows.  If the same functionality was
done in Java, it would be portable.  Then the task is just to develop a Java
engine for each platform - a lot simpler than a plugin for each platform.

HTML is an application of SGML and the web is moving towards being a generic
SGML system, which provides the greatest flexibility.  What you are suggesting
is counter to everything that is being done today.

-MZ
--
Livingston Enterprises - Chair, Department of Interstitial Affairs
Phone: 800-458-9966 510-426-0770 FAX: 510-426-8951 megazone@livingston.com
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Received on Wednesday, 25 September 1996 23:24:01 UTC