RE: Copyrighting schemas, Hailstorm (strayed a bit)

["Bullard, Claude L (Len)" <clbullar@ingr.com>]

However, we are in a time in which proprietary, 
short duration, lifecycle insensitive formats 
are doing quite well because of the ease of 
downloading the updates to the already installed 
players.  Macromedia 3D is an example where 
even given the lack of content or vision, there 
are reports of 300,000 downloads a day.  The 
experience with PAS specs and Adobe PDF in 
particular is that the company does NOT 
guarantee upward compatibility of data between 
versions.  PDF content typically breaks between 
major releases.

The lessons of the past are lost on those 
who did not experience them first hand.  That 
includes the majority of the web users who 
seldom if ever create information much less 
maintain it.  That puts the developer in the 
middle because the Adobe's of the world 
go straight to the consumer.

As to American politics, they are playing 
an old showtune at the White House these 
days: "Just a spoon full of sugar helps 
the medicine go down..."

Len 
http://www.mp3.com/LenBullard

Ekam sat.h, Vipraah bahudhaa vadanti.
Daamyata. Datta. Dayadhvam.h


-----Original Message-----
From: David Brownell [mailto:david-b@pacbell.net]


> The best approach is clean, simple, open standards.

And un-encumbered ... no patents, no NDAs, no consortium licenses.