Skip the navigation

Sidebar: Setting Web Standards

November 22, 2004 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - Tim Berners-Lee is the creator of the World Wide Web and founder and director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in Cambridge, Mass. Berners-Lee is currently working on the Semantic Web, a framework for making Web content understandable by machines as well as people. In an interview conducted via e-mail with Robert L. Mitchell, he discussed the W3C and the challenges of developing standards.

Why did the world need the W3C -- yet another standards group? There was not a group that was ready to focus on the layers of technology above the protocols layer that could draw upon the right communities of users. W3C appeared at a time when some of the most serious concerns had to do with fragmentation of the basic Web technologies, namely HTML, and we had to find a way to bring the actors to the table for the greater good.

Prior to founding the W3C, you first took HTML to the IETF. Why didn't it work out? I did start by taking HTML to the IETF, as I had been involved with the IETF for Internet protocols. That didn't work out largely because the people with markup experience were a different set: They joined the later W3C HTML Working Group when it was formed, which was very successful in bringing the fragmented HTML versions back to a single standard.

Why are there so many consortia and vendor groups promoting their own standards today? Recognizing that standards are now what customers demand, we see more of these marketing initiatives launched under the name of "standard." And of course, it makes sense that vendors might want to ensure that they can exert as much control as possible over the development of a standard -- they're going to have to make products that conform. If a vendor group can control both the technical development and the marketing, then it's more appealing to the vendor -- but not necessarily to the customer.
If you look at the rate of creation of new fora of the type which are formed by a few controlling founders, then in fact this is not new -- it has been happening for a long time. Many of these are being formed as a marketing exercise, to build up some brand recognition. I don't think there is anything wrong with that, per se, except when it gets labeled a standard.

Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web and founder and director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web and founder and director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)



How do you think the world has changed in terms of what it takes to create a standard?


What is Tech Briefcase?
TechBriefcase is a new, free service where IT Professionals can Search, Store and Share IT white papers and content like this. Learn more
Bookmark content
Speed up your research efforts with content across the web.
Search and Store
Find the white papers you need. Create folders for any topic.
View Anywhere
Open your briefcase on your iPhone, tablet or desktop. Share with colleagues.
Don't have an account yet?
Additional Resources
Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

White Papers
Enabling Remote Employees with High Quality Video
In this paper, we analyze the delivery of live and on-demand mobile video content. It focuses on specific ways in which organizations can...
Switching Schedulers - Not As Complicated As You Think
Changing or consolidating job schedulers may seem daunting. However, the benefits of switching to enterprise workload automation outweigh the risks. Read how BMC...
A "YouTube-like" Experience For Employees
Leading research firms are predicting that video is becoming a key component of workplace collaboration. More and more, employees are creating and sharing...
The CFO Guide to Budgeting Software
A mid-sized business needs the same financial performance control and measurement capabilities as a large corporation, but in a solution that's affordable, easy...
Transition from Spreadsheet Budgets to Packaged Application
This white paper details the problems that go with spreadsheet-based budgeting as well as the advantages of packaged applications. It also proposes a...
Webcasts
Live Webcast
How to Reduce Complexity and Automate Your Partners for Efficient E-Business:
Date: Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 2:00 PM EDT

Whether your B2B complexity is caused by multiple technologies due to M&A, business or application specific...
Live Webcast
Data Privacy and Protection in Production Environments: New Research from Ponemon Institute
Date: Wednesday, June 13, 2012, 1:00 PM EDT / 10:00 AM PDT

In a recent study conducted by Ponemon Institute, fifty-five percent of respondents...
Live Webcast
A Geek's Guide to Presenting to Business People
Live Webcast: Wednesday, June 20th at 1:00 PM EDT

Join this live webinar with Paul Glen, author of Leading Geeks, to learn how to...
BMC Control-M - Single Point of Control Demo
With BMC Control-M, you schedule and manage everything - down to the very last platform and application - from one simple interface. It's...
Operational Analytics - Changing the Competitive Dynamics of the Business
Date/Time: June 5, 2012, 11:00 a.m., EDT, 4:00 p.m. BST / 3:00 p.m. UTC

Please join us for this webcast, as Dr. Barry...
Oracle Database Appliance Best Practices
Business users increasingly demand 24x7 availability of their data while IT departments face the challenge of ensuring maximum availability while operating with limited...
BMC Control-M - Single Point of Control Demo
With BMC Control-M, you schedule and manage everything - down to the very last platform and application - from one simple interface. It's...
Sun Chemical Customer Success Story
Sun Chemical, the world's largest producer of printing inks and pigments, quadrupled its complex batch environment with zero extra headcount using BMC Control-M's...
Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs