xml-dev - RE: Realistic proposals to the W3C?

[Joshua Allen <joshuaa@microsoft.com>]

> I have one suggestion for the W3C. Stop writing standards and 
> start writing
> - and encouraging third parties to write - cool Web software 
> in interesting 
> areas.
> When running code does cool stuff in a new and interesting 
> area, form a working
> group to spec out a baseline specification for other 
> implementations to 
> conform to.

Caution with this one may be prudent.  Organizations seem to be
more comfortable about specifications or recommendations that
stay more toward the interoperability side and less toward the
software functionality side.  Companies compete based on differentiation,
and they will always struggle to have as much room for differentiation
as possible.  Much of the visible features of cool, running, code
are things that may not be best standardized.  Designing software
by committee is not the way most places want to operate; the
committees exist more to negotiate fiercely how much cooperation
*will* take place, in the expectations that the level of
cooperation arrived at will serve the market best and "float
all boats".  Theoretically, of course :-)