[ILUG] Re: W3C Policy Shift

[Rory Winston]

Dave Neary wrote:

>It means that it is now
>possible for non-w3c standards (such as Java) which are not free, and
>require a commercial licence to implement, to be accepted as w3c
>standards. It also implies that if free software developers get a
>standard for free, then for the standard to be accepted as a w3c
>standard under RAND, everyone has to be able to get it for free.

Interesting , but how is that different from the current 
W3C policy?

>It also means that if anyone has to pay for it, everyone has to pay for
>it. The point is that if something (such as, say, Java, JavaScript or
>ASP) becomes a de facto standard that it can be accepted as an actual
>standard, and documented properly & consistently, and made available to
>everyone under the same terms (that would be a condition to getting the
>w3c seal of approval).

True, but my only concern is : how open is the standard? Obviously for a
commercial 
vendor, if one of their standards is accepted as a W3C standard, then do
they release the
standard into the public domain for the benefit of all? Or does the standard
remain
under closed development, with the only difference being that it is also W3C
approved? I 
presume a W3C WG will be set up for each newly acepted standard, obviously,
I just hope that is isn't a token gesture and that the community at large
can make a difference where it counts.

>Good, maybe, possibly bad, but not the massive crisis that ye're making
>it out to be... at least that's my reading of it. 

I'm not sure that it's a massive crisis, I wish I had a clearer
understanding of all 
of the possible implications, its all legalese at the moment. Time will
tell, but I 
am disappointed in the (allegedly) almost underhanded manner that this
proposal has
been pushed through by the W3C. However, no obstacle has diminished the
importance of
Open Source software before, so I can't see that this will

Cheers

Rory

--------------------------------------------
Rory Winston,
Developer,
OneLine Team,
TeleWest Communications,
Genesis Business Park,
Albert Drive,
Woking Surrey,
GU21 5RW

mailto: rory.winston at telewest.co.uk
phone:  01483 295 653

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