I know I said I didn't want to post to this again, but some points have been raised which I just can't help responding to.
I am an advocate of standards. But the standards shouldn't be the first place we run whenever the way gets unclear. It's been said in this thread already that there are an awful lot of grey areas in the specs, and an awful lot of developers and designers out there trying to do just about everything imaginable with HTML, much of which is done with absolutely no regard for the specs, accessibility, or usability (and I get crucified here for merely wandering into one of the grey areas?). It should also be of no surprise that the original specs, when written, couldn't possibly predict the varied uses that HTML is now being shoehorned into. This is exactly why there is so much effort currently going on to come up with a new spec that will cope with the evolving nature and use of HTML. The shortcomings of HTML are self evident. Why else are we here trying to redesign it? So my question is: Is this group, as part of the Web Standards Group, about being visionaries and looking for ways to advance the use of HTML (and drag the specs along behind if necessary)? Or are we a bunch of conservative fundamentalists who believe the current specs are gospel and the anyone who doesn't *believe* should be cudgeled to death with them? To put it another way: Are we advocates for HTML, or for the specifications? And no, I'm not calling myself a visionary. But I'm inviting everyone here to be one, and not get stuck in the minutia of the specs, as if that all that matters. Lucien. Lucien Stals [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> Blake <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 05/06/07 6:52 PM >>> On 6/5/07, Paul Novitski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Perhaps our debates would be kinder if we ruminated longer on our > shared plight: abandoned on a barren planet with only fifty kinds of > parts with which to build everything we need. Well said. In all a very insightful post. I agree, generally we're all trying to do our best with what we have. However, some of us are pedantic about using the most appropriate element possible while others are happy to use something that makes sense in their styling context. I think some of us (myself included) lose touch a little when we see someone do something differently to how we would, and start getting all high and mighty. In a way, it's so easy to do, because we are passionate about what we do. I think that's why we clash horns so often, because we do care. But so many developers don't care at all, so I think we should remember that we're generally on the same side on this list. Regards, Blake -- Australian Web Designer - http://www.blakehaswell.com/ ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ******************************************************************* Swinburne University of Technology CRICOS Provider Code: 00111D NOTICE This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended only for the use of the addressee. They may contain information that is privileged or protected by copyright. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution, printing, copying or use is strictly prohibited. The University does not warrant that this e-mail and any attachments are secure and there is also a risk that it may be corrupted in transmission. It is your responsibility to check any attachments for viruses or defects before opening them. If you have received this transmission in error, please contact us on +61 3 9214 8000 and delete it immediately from your system. We do not accept liability in connection with computer virus, data corruption, delay, interruption, unauthorised access or unauthorised amendment. Please consider the environment before printing this email. ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *******************************************************************
