> But when you declare that your browser is going to support extra
> functionality permanently, it *does* cause soli real market skew. It
> means that a substantial number of people will write to those
> extensions (since they know that they will always be around), even
> knowing that only a portion of the Net will be able to read it. The
> users, then, will have to pick up your browser if they want to see
> those sites, and many will. This leaves the other browser vendors in
> something of a bind -- either they implement those extensions (in
> which case you effectively *are* setting the standards) or they don't,
> and they lose market share.
You see...
This is the great thing about America. It's called capitalism. You
make a better product... you set the standard.
Remember way back when in the world of B&W TV sets? Well, B&W wa
basically the standard. In this analogy, those nincompoops who developed color
TV sets "caused soli real market skew." A substantial number of people began
to broadcast in color for those people who had color sets, and eventually
stopped worrying about complying with B&W color schemes (the choosing of
certain colors so that they would appear well on a B&W set).
I understand where you're coming from with all of this, but compare web
pages done in "official" HTML compared to those with NetScape extensions... I
don't see why anyone would turn back.
> This isn't theory -- it's exactly what's happened with Netscape.
> And while you aren't exactly Netscape yet, Webspace *is* getting all
> the publicity; you've got a relatively big marketing machine behind
> you. I see it as quite likely that the same thing will happen to you
> in the long eun. That publicity is an initial edge, and the extra
> capabilities will probably exacerbate that edge.
>
>
> In short, I'm genuinely worried that we're going to wind up going
> down the same path as HTML, with a de facto standard quite different
> from the formal one. I can't see that as being terribly good for the
> future -- we're a long ways from finishing this project yet, and I
> suspect that we're going to have a lot more trouble with willy-nilly
> extensions than HTML does; lots more things have to hang together
> properly if we're going to turn this into a real cyberspace standard...
Then make the standard flexible enough to include the different extensions.
Those who develop browsers will probably take advantab> of as many of them as
they possible can. If they have customers who demand it, they will make it
happen. God, I love America! :)
>
> -- Justin
> Also personal opinions...
>
>-- End of excerpt from Mark Waks
-- ========================================================================== CHRISTOPHER TREMANN | Systems Engineering Support Silicon Graphics, Inc. | e-mail: [email protected] 1111 Alderman Drive | Phone : (404) 663-1249 Building 300, Suite 375 | FAX : (404) 475-4414 Alpharetta, Georgia 30202 | Vmail : 1(800)326-1020 x58594 ==========================================================================