Karpinski, Richard. "A Tangled Web of Standards" InternetWeek 682 (Sept. 22,
1997):1, 75 (http://www.techweb.com/se/directlink.cgi?INW19970922S0001). -
Focusing on the proposed DOM (Document Object Model) standard, this article
reveals the tensions between the marketplace and the world of standards. The
article cites how both Netscape and Microsoft have leapt ahead of the
standards process in attempting to be the first to bring DHTML (Dynamic
HTML) products to market and creating yet another browser-war and
compatibility issue for content providers. Standards groups like the W3C
(itself made up largely of vendors) are criticized for being too slow in
finalizing standards, and vendors for giving lip service to
"standards-based" solutions, yet ignoring the standards process for the push
to market. Content providers such as universities, libraries, and museums
are particularly hard hit since they often attempt to serve the broadest
possible public (and not one market niche) and so must keep keenly aware of
compatibility and access issues. - RR