[thelist] Re: Why code for standards

[Shirley Kaiser]

At 07:01 AM 2/6/2002, BH typed:
>Well, so far, in its infancy, it is different in the sense that I wasn't
>thinking so much of an 'activist' group as an contributory group.

OK, that's what it sounded like to me, too.

>To my
>knowledge, WaSP currently holds no membership in any of the standards groups
>we've been discussing,

That is correct.

>or at least not so they've published that I can see.

Nope. We're on friendly terms with W3C, of course (I'm on the WaSP Steering
Committee), but WaSP is not on any of the W3C committees (a couple of WaSP
members have been in the past via their companies, though, but not
representing WaSP).

Just like anyone else in the world, there are open forums and discussions
(that are publicly archived) to voice opinions and ideas, ask questions and
that's how we typically voice our opinions, such as with the patent policy
uproar a few months ago.

>It seems WaSP's intention has always been to have influence on the
>public/user/browser level, not on the establishment/development/directive
>level. They get involved by encouraging adherence to standards,

That's correct.

>  but we would
>get involved on the end of determining what those standards would say, and
>how they might be implemented. We actually would have involvement with the
>W3C, ISO, etc.

Sounds great!

>WaSP says they're currently taking "a gentle leave of absence". According to
>their site, they've accomplished a great deal of what they set out to, and
>so are apparently able to take a break. Where their mission is concerned,
>that's appropriate. If you're involved in the standards development process,
>the job is really never done.

We're actually working on phase II now.
<http://www.zeldman.com/forward/1.html> (see the last paragraph of that
post) By staying out of the public eye for a bit, it's given us time to
regroup and plan the next phase. As Zeldman states in the above link:
 >>
The Web Standards Project, Phase II, currently being developed by long–time
WaSPs and new recruits, will soon offer educational resources to help
novices and pros alike navigate their way to through the standards maze.
<<

So stay tuned. :-)

[I must note that I'm not speaking officially on behalf of WaSP here, just
my own thoughts here.]

>Sounds like a mission statement would be in order. Oh, Jeez - what have I
>done. As this is intended to be a group thing, not a me thing, I would defer
>in part to my peers who may be interested in participating. So I put it to
>the future members: If a group of evolters (and others) were to form a group
>such as the one discussed here, what should it hope to accomplish, and how
>would it differ from other similar organizations already in existence?

This is another great thread in the makings, I can see. :-)

>Anyway, I think it needs to be done. It only stands to reason that one of
>the greatest groups of designers and developers on the planet should have
>some collective input in the determination of what rules we'll have to
>follow and how, right? We certainly all do spend a lot of time discussing
>and complaining about the issue here, so must be there's some concern we
>should be addressing, right? "Don't just stand there complaining, do
>something".
>
>BH

Great points, BH. I hope this comes to fruition.

Warmly,
Shirley

--
Shirley E. Kaiser, M.A.,  SKDesigns  mailto:skaiser1 at skdesigns.com
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