[thelist] Web Standards Project and Mozilla duke it out...

James Aylard jaylard at encompass.net
Tue Jul 25 23:54:40 CDT 2000


> into the hands of *developers*... your point is there, but i still
> resort to the turnip argument... users don't care about compliance...

	I agree end-users don't care about standards-compliance. But unless the
standards-compliant browser is in the hands of *end-users*, there will be no
installed base for which developers can develop.

> at least he didn't call them evil, and i do think he makes his point
> without overstating it or calling them the evil empire...

	No, he never used the word "evil" -- that was my slightly sarcastic
distillation of his comments. What he did say was "The reason for Netscape's
declining share is nothing more than Microsoft's monopoly control over the
browser marketplace." An opinion shared by the faithful, I am sure, but
simplistic and devoid of self-examination -- no mea culpa, to be sure.

> i think they had to answer... the WSP, as one of its original staunchest
> supporters, had a beef that needed to be addressed... the response was
> warranted, and i don't think it was too much...

	I agree that a response was entirely warranted. But I do think it was
unnecessarily sarcastic and accusatory, and that it lacked professionalism.
What do I mean by that? The WSP -- despite its heavy-handed critique -- did
make some valid criticisms of Netscape and the Mozilla project, but
Mozillazine conceded nothing and admitted no shortcoming, instead flinging
criticism back at the WSP and blame -- and all of the blame -- over to
Microsoft.

James Aylard

> -----Original Message-----
> From: thelist-admin at lists.evolt.org
> [mailto:thelist-admin at lists.evolt.org]On Behalf Of aardvark
> Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2000 6:07 PM
> To: thelist at lists.evolt.org
> Subject: RE: [thelist] Web Standards Project and Mozilla duke it out...
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Aylard JA (James)
> >
> > that this hand grenade into the Mozilla project
> > was some kind of balancing
> > act, at least in part. But I also think that
> > Chris Nelson of Mozillazine
> > doth protest too much, and misconstrues some of
> > the points that the WSP makes.
>
> yes, yes, and yes...
>
> > compliance? My reading of the WSP's complaint,
> > though, is that they don't
> > care about time-to-market and market share per
> > se, except in that those are
> > a very real part of the equation of putting a
> > standards-compliant browser
> > into the hands of actual users, where it needs to
>

>
> > 	We could start a huge flame war (but we
> > won't :) over Nelson's
> > unqualified argument that there is only one cause
> > of Netscape's failed
> > condition: Microsoft, and its evil bundling
> > practices. While we can all
>

>
> > past sins. Mozillazine's response, however, is an
> > unconvincing effort at
> > deflection and self-justified victimization.
>
> not what i got... but i was surprised they didn't cite the 'volunteer'
> nature of so much of this... as well as the (somewhat) shifting
> standards...
>
> > a tough skin. They should
> > be hungry and on the prowl, but instead are
> > whimpering about a sting in their paw.
>

>
>
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