I think what happened was inevitable. This is not an isolated incident.
Microsoft is holding up the standards committees they are on. It's just the
reality. We can all be honest about it. Microsoft just refused, which is what
they are doing everywhere.
> The reason I call it a black eye is because
> adobe spent a lot of time hanging their hat on the idea
> that this was going to be a standard.
I agree. It's okay for Adobe to let go. It was a bridge too far. There's no
shame to it. It's over. Continue on.
> Adobe wanted the industry to move one way, and
> Microsoft forced it to move another way.
Not exactly. Microsoft lost all its Silverlight and JScript initiatives in this
decision. Adobe and Microsoft both lost what they wanted. The rest of the
committee members decided they were getting nowhere, so they stopped it, and
they were totally right.
In fact, I expect this scenario to continue in other committees. HTML5. CSS3. I
don't think Microsoft could deliver standards progress even if they deeply
wanted to. After being an isolated impediment for so long, it's only a matter
of time before everyone else gives up on them. There is a limit, and I think
we're reaching it now. That's a good thing.
You know the funny part to all this? Having Microsoft in a standards committee
called "Harmony" is the ultimate oxymoron. This is in Oslo, so I submit they
should call the committee something more appropriate like "Fjord" or "Loki".
--Cole
