Re: Center DIV

David, why can't a tool be used for multiple purposes?  Why must there be a highly specific tool for 
each of these uses?

HTML, CSS and DOM can be appropriate tools for *both* document construction and web application 
creation.  The fact that the same language and tools and the same skillset work for both purposes is 
a huge benefit - not a problem.

If the W3C working groups continue to define the web browser as strictly a document viewer, and to 
deflect all requests for functionality that does not fit into the strict notion of a 
media-independent document, it is very likely that a proprietary technology will ultimately be used 
for web applications, and the open standards of the web may become marginalized.

David Woolley wrote:
>>document language, it is used as a document language, an interface 
>>language, a general purpose XML grammar and several other things. 
> 
> That's because of a couple of problems:
> 
> 1) People seem unable to grasp the concept that different jobs need
>    different tools**, e.g. if visual appearence is paramount, then PDF
>    has been much more appropriate at doing that, even in its pre-HTML
>    form, than HTML.
> 
> 2) People want to treat web browsers as though they were graphical 
>    libraries, rather than document viewers.  The point being that it
>    avoids them having to arrange for a more appropriate graphical
>    library to be installed by the user.  (Microsoft's .NET, although
>    probably done more because a standard like HTML doesn't allow them
>    to exploit their monopoly well, probably better addresses that 
>    requirement.)

Received on Thursday, 3 July 2003 19:47:40 UTC