::scr horns of a dilemma

[Andy Wardley]

On Mon, Mar 25, 2002 at 11:35:39AM +0000, Simon Wistow wrote:
> So, the question I put to you, Vendor Specific Extensions - good thing
> or bad thing?

I think it's like asking the question: "Is evolution a good thing or a 
bad thing?"

I imagine that vendor-specific extensions are very important to the vendors
because that's about all that differentiates their product from the next
one.  One washes whiter, the other has new and improved fresh scent of spring.
It's the only justification they have for pushing more and more products on
us that are basically no different to the old models.

(sidenote: anyone been watching The Century of the Self on BBC?  It talks
about how the birth of consumerism with built-in planned obsolescence of 
products, was (paraphrasically) a tool to manipulate the population into 
worrying about getting a new mobile phone so that they're not worrying about 
getting a new government)

It's bad for everyone else in the short term because of lack of standards.
But in the long term.... I'm beginning to wonder if these rectal pains are
a necessary artifact of "progress".  Because the commerical world is, sadly,
driven by money and little else, it is a requirement that manufacturer A
can make a product which is in some way different enough from the product
shipped by mfr B and thus compete for market share.

Or in other words, would browsers have evolved so quickly if it hadn't been
for a big pissing match between Netscape and Microsoft?   

A