Seems the W3C is running into a little trouble with it’s validation service. You know know the one, the HTML and CSS validation tools that allows you to validate your sites to the W3C guidelines. They are now calling for financial assistance in the form for sponsorship and donations. This does raise the question how is it that the W3C with its expensive membership fees and list of prestigious supporters has gotten itself into this type of predicament.
Last month Molly Holzschlag lead an interesting discussion on the divided state of the web standards community on A List Apart. Now we all know this has been happening for a while, this fragmentation of the web standards community.
Molly is prompting people to get involve with their web standards group of their choice, in an effort bolster the community, and maybe reverse the trend.
Okay it’s a good idea in theory; but in reality, from a personal view I’m tired of the same thing time and time again. Take for example the Web Standards Group mailing list (we don’t have a local WSG) I’m finding the constant rehashing of topics and questions and answers a bit pointless, to the point that I’ve just lost interest.
With all the discussion, earlier in the month, on the way the W3C working groups are made up and operate, the influence of the browser and software producers on the web industry. We really have to consider do we have this around the right way. There has been calls for removal of the software producers from the working groups. Now I’m not going to debate that topic here, I think we have all done this to death at the moment.
At this time of year we all get a few days to get off endless carnival ride of our industry, this allows us time to reflect. Or simply unwind and contemplate the old navel lint. It’s at times like this you ask yourself why you really got into the Web Industry in the first place.
Now I’m not talking about because you need to provide or earn a little cash for yourself and your nearest and dearest. No I’m going beyond the material domain. We all have to earn a living in one shape or another, so let’s just put that aside.
Gary Barber
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