Re: Doctype detection

> Dave  J Woolley <DJW@bts.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > That's not true. Microsoft owns the browser market and can do what it
> > likes. If it released a compliant browser, this would not affect its
>         [DJW:]
>         In that case, can I propose that the www-html list
>         (and W3C HTML activity) be disbanded,
>         as I can't see that it makes any sense
>         when the standard is controlled by a monopoly
>         developer.  

Of course the standards are controled by developers, since if something
doesn't get implemented (or, far worse, gets implemented badly), it
effectively isn't a standard at all.

A good example of this can be seen in the CSS positioning rules: the
original rules were implemented in a *working draft*; i.e. an unfinished
document - when CSS2 came out it  included CSS positioning rules with
improved functionality. However, Microsoft didn't change from their
implementation of an experimental document to a finished standard, and
as a result, now, several years later, the rules have been change back
to the original rules (although this hasn't been published anywhere, so
we have an undesirable situation there is no official statement of how
positioning should work).

>         Actually, I think it is, in part, the de facto monopoly
>         in the early days of Netscape that led to most of
>         the HTML quality problems we see these days.  (Followed
>         by attempts to leap frog with new presentational features.)

Very true; certainly the motivation behind FONT and its evil brethren
was nothing more than greed. Netscape has cleaned up its act to some
extent however, perhaps because Microsoft now has unchallegeable control
over the browser market, and it is Microsoft that is bringing in the
damaging new 'features' (see
http://www.deja.com/threadmsg_ct.xp?AN=650276727&fmt=text and replies
(e.g., http://www.deja.com/threadmsg_ct.xp?AN=650479977&fmt=text)).

-----------------------------------
Please visit http://RichInStyle.com. Featuring:
MySite: customizable styles.         AlwaysWork style 
Browser bug table covering all CSS2 with links to descriptions.
Lists of > 1000 browser bugs         Websafe Colorizer 
CSS2, CSS1 and HTML4 tutorials.      CSS masterclass 
CSS2 test suite: 5000++ tests and 300+ test pages.

Received on Friday, 28 July 2000 05:07:53 UTC