[DMCA_Discuss] Where's MS in all this?

[Simon Drabble]

On Fri, 19 Apr 2002, tom poe wrote:

> Hi:  Something tells me we still have MS standing in the wings on this one.  
> In the meantime, my efforts to get the W3.org folks to cough up a readable 
> list of what standards are royalty-free and what standards are 
> patent-encumbered is being met with obfuscation and gobbledy-gook.  And, 
> richard stallman is playing dumb, as well.  Tell me I'm wrong, but we could 
> easily be headed for some real rough water, if we let the W3.org continue 
> with this RAND nonsense, and let corporations take control of the standards.  
> Of course, the folks at W3.org will each have their little "pensions" to take 
> with them from the corporate sponsors, leaving the world with crap for 
> standards.
> 
> When the future comes, and these corporate jerks hold the key to the gate, 
> the cost of accessing the Internet actively is raised.  Just like what's 
> happened to web radio.
> 
> Thanks, 
> Tom 


Tom,

I don't see existing standards going away any time soon, and unless W3 can
find a way to render TCP useless (like, for instance, buying up all cisco
routers and manufacturing replacements which speak, say, MS-CP) I don't know
why we need rely on them at all.

Seems they are a dinosaur, like RIAA et all, attempting to exert some last
desperate grabs for control.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but really, what /do/ we need them for
anymore? M$ and netscape have had /their/ own standards (or extensions) for
years.


Si.