andyMatthews.net

We live in exciting times brothers and sisters. The xHTML 2 working group has been dissolved in favor of the HTML 5 working group. The HTML 5 spec is nearing completion, with the recent release of Safari 4 actually supporting many of HTML 5's constructs. There's even tutorials on how to write HTML 5 (which looks amazing Mads, thanks for your time, and skill), and critique on just what this recent announcement means for web developers.

In the last year, every major browser manufacturer has come out with a new release. This includes Microsoft (Internet Explorer 8), Apple (Safari 3 AND 4), Google (Chrome), Mozilla (Firefox 3 and 3.5), and even Opera (Opera 9.6).

I've also been hearing rumors of sniping on the parts of the browser manufacturers against the various working group developers, and vice versa. JavaScript 2 isn't supported by the browser makers, it'll be a decade before we see HTML 5 in common use, CSS 3 isn't fully supported, etc. On the part of the working groups, they complain that browsers don't fully support their products, they add in their own propreitary CSS, and HTML constructs, etc.

What most people don't realize though is that the internet is like a 3 legged race involving browser makers and the working groups. Each of them is only in control over a PORTION of their destiny, requiring the full cooperation of the other to succeed. It's all well and good to say that the working groups aren't pulling their weight, or that browser manufacturers are slow to release new versions, but success will only ever be measured by whether BOTH cross the finish line.

So join with me in encouraging both racers in creating a synergy whereby everyone wins: both participants, web developers, and most important...the end user.