Raising the wrong bar

The Internet is the great leveler that it is, precisely because the 
barriers for participating are so low. RAND threatens this.

I'm especially saddened to see Apple promoting RAND, given its heavy 
incorporation of open source into its own commercial operation system. 
The irony is unwelcome.

I hope that the W3C will uphold its tradition of helping the growth of 
the web in a spirited and open fashion, and reject this funneling of 
power through a closed system. Private interests would undoubtedly leave 
many developers, and the W3C, impotent and unable to make meaningful 
contributions.

There is nothing like the internet, and nothing quite like the W3C. Your 
decisions will have epic repercussions.

Sincerely,

Joseph Sickel

Received on Monday, 1 October 2001 02:59:09 UTC