HTML: Dazed and Confused

HTML usage is rapidly degenerating into a real mess with browser
incompatibilities, interoperability and validation issues. THe driving
force seems to be towards presentation and appearance rather than
content.

It is my understanding that the W3C does issue HTML standards (2.0, 3.0,
3.2 & 4.0) specifically to address these issues but I don't understand
why they are ineffective. For instance :

1) Why do there seem to be two interpretations/implementations of 3.2
(Wilbur & CSS1) ?
  
2) Why do different HTML validators produce different results when
evaluating the same page against the same standard ?

3) Are the W3C standards written in such an ambiguous manner as to be
virtually useless ?  

-- 
Francis R. Cottier
E-Mail:cottier@fox.nstn.ca
Innovation Business Services (http://fox.nstn.ca/~cottier/ibs.html)
"Solving the Productivity Paradox"
Phone (613) 354-1407 | Fax (613) 354-2291
Napanee, Ontario, Canada

Received on Monday, 18 August 1997 09:36:34 UTC