3 ms·
The trick is to enforce conformance right from the start in the first implementation of a format. Shipping a product that doesn't interop with the existing tool
by silotis 2y ago
The trick is to enforce conformance right from the start in the first implementation of a format. Shipping a product that doesn't interop with the existing tools is a non-starter so the devs will have to fix their shit first.
As you say, unfortunately the genie cannot be put back in the bottle for formats that already have defective implementations in the wild.
- riffraff 2y agoThe problem is that unless you restrict everyone else you'll get your own product not to interact with *new" tools too. E.g. you produce valid .wat files, but my software which also outputs those has some bits screwed up. My program can read both .wat but yours can't, but I have 5% market share. Your users complain they sometimes receive files your software can't read while the competitor can. Do you tell them "well that file is invalid, tell whoever sent it to you to change the software they use"? The genie can't stay in the bottle unless you have some sort of certification authority and even that may not be enough (see USB)
- thfuran 2y agoBut the more every actor aims to follow the spec rather than reproduce everyone else's bugs, the less quickly the ecosystem devolves into a horrid tangled mess that's nigh impossible for a new entrant.
- quectophoton 2y ago"So you're saying that I can have an advantage over everyone else if I implement all the spec features, plus one extra feature that adds convenience to our users? And you're saying that by doing this, not only do I gain an advantage over the existing competition, but I also make it more difficult for more competitors to appear? [takes notes]"
- thfuran 2y agoMicrosoft is a few decades ahead of you there.