We have witnessed a tussle between popular technologies and standards groups more than just a couple of times. We have seen it happen with browsers, JavaScript, Ajax, different runtimes and with desktop technologies as wel. The technologies being popular, do have some merit. Standards too exist for betterment of the people. Then why do they end up on opposite sides of the table?
Nobody can deny that innovation might distance us a bit from standards. But if this difference really helps then the standards groups have to expand to incorporate it. We have seen that if a technology helps, it gets used on the field, and ends up in the competing team if it is not acknowledged by the standards group. In fact, a speedy evolution of these technologies can make the standards group drag itself. Maybe W3C has been doing things as it was earlier, but the technologies outside are evolving much faster, making them appear slower.
There is another aspect to this problem. Some times these technologies are used to promote proprietary products. Which is probably fine up to a certain popularity level. After a certain stage it has to be made into an open standard so that everyone, irrespective of the tools at their hands, get a chance to use it. Like Joe Hewitt says, IE 4 did do some breakthroughs. But I will really like to find out why they were not promoted to become standards so that everyone could benefit from them? I believe that popularity has to be accompanied with openness for a technology to be truly beneficial to everyone. If not, you will obstruct others, and they will fight you rather than adopt you.
I have heard many times that standards curb creativity and innovation. They do not, they only ensure that users are not harmed because of maker’s bias and preferences. What is important is to realize why the different from standards can help, and if it does, the standards should evolve to acknowledge it. The onus lies on both the parties to collaborate, otherwise it is the users who end up suffering.
This is more of a musing, so feel free to poke holes.
August 24th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
In web development, the success of any innovation depends on the market share. If I create a browser with extreamely innovative ideas but it has only a small market share, no one will use it. Even if one of the major browser creates a great feature, no web developer will use it until the feature exist in a sizable section of the browsing public.
The point is, innovation is slow in the web industry – there is very little we can do about it.
August 24th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Binny, I agree with you that market share is a critical factor. However, we have seen things been at cross even after majority has adopted the new feature.
In my opinion, innovation being slow does not affect as much as a viral adoption of a technology does, which gives little for the standards body to consider it. We have seen it happen with likes of Ajax.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:09 am
I think that you hit the nail on your head when you pointed out that technology is evolving so quickly it’s hard for standardization to keep up. Any time a set of rules is suggested, by the time implementing them can begin technology has already changed enough that the rules would be difficult or impossible to do so with.