Hey - I want to be on the 'bleading' edge of web technology -
why should I care about fusty old history stuff ?
Knowing a little history won't help you make a prettier web page,
but as with any activity, a knowledge of things outside your
immediate day-to-day concerns will give you perspective and help
you evolve towards being a wiser professional.
One of the most obvious examples of this is the frequently asked
question, Why is HTML such a lousy page formatting language ?
Answer: because it wasn't originally meant to be used for page layout -
it was designed to specify document structure.
The web has no 'center' (or 'centre') per se, but if you want
to be aware of origins, standards, and futures, this site deserves a
visit or two..
The W3C site is segmented into
The User Interface Domain seeks to improve all user/computer
communications on the Web. In particular, the Domain is working on
formats and languages that will present information to users with more
accuracy and a higher level of control.
The explosive growth of technology has forced the entire Web community
to look at society's ethical and legal issues from a new international
perspective. The Technology & Society Domain seeks to understand
these issues in light of new technology -- partly by changing the
technology, and partly by educating users about the technology's
benefits, costs, and limits.
W3C leads the evolution of the web, empowering individuals, increasing
social and economic efficiency, and exploiting the power of computing in
our everyday lives. Exploiting that power is the mission of the W3C
Architecture Domain.
The World Wide Web offers the promise of transforming many traditional
barriers to information and interaction among different peoples. The
W3C's commitment to lead the Web to its full potential includes promoting
a high degree of usability for people with disabilities. The Web
Accessibility Initiative (WAI), in coordination with other organizations, is
pursuing accessibility of the Web through five primary areas of work:
technology, guidelines, tools, education & outreach, and research &
development.
