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The problem is that technology on the web increasingly goes through an inflection point. Prior to the inflection it is too early to standardize, because it's n
by richardwhiuk 10y ago
The problem is that technology on the web increasingly goes through an inflection point.
Prior to the inflection it is too early to standardize, because it's not clear that how something will actually work, or whether it'll actually be use.
Post inflection point, there is an established way of doing things (by sheer weight of running code), so standardization often offers little benefit.
During the inflection point, those involved are generally way too busy to worry about standardization!
- mstade 10y agoAlso post inflection point, if standardization happens it often becomes a matter of just documenting de facto standards – warts and all. This can make bugs not just a curiosity of the standard but hard requirements, and a difficult corner to paint yourself out of. Case in point: HTML. (And in particular the WHATWG living standard.) Counter case: HTTP. Through my rose tinted glasses I think it's a beautiful after-the-fact standardization effort. It's not without warts of course, nothing is, but still a great example of carefully turning the state of the world into a solid standard.