lynx-dev web standards (fwd)

[Laura Eaves]

Saw the following on another list (basr-l -- blind access/screen readers list)
Thought it might be of interest.

> From address@hidden Sun Aug  9 13:50:09 1998
> Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1998 12:36:04 -0500
> Subject: New Web Standards Advocacy Project
>
> <fontfamily><param>Times New Roman</param><bigger>Apologies for
> cross-posting.
>
>
> http://www.webstandards.org
>
>
> They are scheduled to launche officially tomorrow. An article describing
> their goals, focusing on uniform browser implementation of CSS & other
> standards is available at:
>
>
> http://www.thestandard.net/articles/news_display/0,1270,1325,00.html
>
>
> Patrick
>
>
> Here is the text of the article:
>
>
> August 06, 1998  =20
>
>      Web Designers Protest Microsoft and Netscape
>
>      Standards Rift=20
>
>
>      By Alex Lash=20
>
>
>      A group of high=96profile Web designers is forming a
>
>      coalition to protest the differing standards between
>
>      Microsoft's and Netscape's browsers.=20
>
>
>      "We're in danger of getting to the point where the
>
>      Web is made of fragments, with one browser
>
>      supporting one fragment and the other browser
>
>      supporting another, and with no middle ground,"
>
>      says Glenn Davis, spokesman for the Web
>
>      Standards Project.=20
>
>
>      WSP members hope that grassroots developer
>
>      pressure will influence Microsoft and Netscape as
>
>      the companies work on their fifth=96generation
>
>      browsers. In the past, both companies have added
>
>      nonstandard technologies without waiting for
>
>      approval from the Web standards overseer, the
>
>      World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Sometimes
>
>      that approval never materializes, as with
>
>      Netscape's HTML "layer tag," or Microsoft's
>
>      Windows=96only Active X.=20
>
>
>      However, Davis says that between the companies'
>
>      4.0 browsers, Microsoft Internet Explorer is closer
>
>      to full support of most Web standards, while
>
>      Netscape's lack of support for the cascading
>
>      stylesheets standard, which enables designers to
>
>      display and rearrange information dynamically
>
>      within the browser, is a major concern.=20
>
>
>      The debate over diverging browser standards has
>
>      in part been sparked by Microsoft's decision to
>
>      merge its browser into the dominant Windows
>
>      operating system. By developing sites for Internet
>
>      Explorer, Web designers know that millions of
>
>      Windows users will be assured of accessing
>
>      those sites. But Netscape's Navigator remains the
>
>      more popular browser by a slim margin, and
>
>      developers are hesitant to throw their lot into only
>
>      one camp, thus inflating the cost of Web
>
>      development.=20
>
>
>      Davis, who runs Web=96design firm Project Cool
>
>      (www.projectcool.com), estimates it costs 25
>
>      percent more to develop a cutting=96edge site that
>
>      can be fully accessed by both browsers.=20
>
>
>      Microsoft product manager Mike Nichols said the
>
>      company is committed to leading support in all
>
>      industry standards and technologies and will
>
>      continue to do so with IE 5.0. Netscape was not
>
>      immediately available for comment.=20
>
>
>      Microsoft has released a developer=96only beta of IE
>
>      5.0, while Netscape is counting on its decision to
>
>      free its browser source code to spur innovation for
>
>      Navigator 5.0.=20
>
>
>      The Web Standards Project is also concerned
>
>      with future browsers that will run on non=96PC
>
>      devices, such as palmtops and Web phones.
>
>      "Lack of standards support is going to hurt that
>
>      development," said Davis.=20
>
>
>      Other members of the Web Standards Project
>
>      include Martin Diekhoff of the Getty Information
>
>      Institute(www.gii.getty.edu), Ann Navarro of Webgeek=20
> Communications
>
>      (www.webgeek.com), Roger Black of Interactive Bureau (www.iab.com),
> and
>
>      John Shiple of Squishy Designs (www.squishy.com). The group's Web
> site
>
>      (www.webstandards.org) will be live on Monday.=20
>
>
>
>         Copyright =A9 1998 The Industry Standard | All rights reserved |
> Webmaster </bigger></fontfamily>
>
>
>
>
> Patrick J. Burke
>
> address@hidden
>
> http://www.dcp.ucla.edu/patrick
>
>
> University of California
>
> Los Angeles
>
> Disabilities & Computing Program
>
>
> Analyzing Usability
>
> Since 1994