Microsoft Delivers Second IE 9 Platform Preview

"Web browsers should render the same markup – the same HTML, same CSS, and same script –the same way. That’s simply not the case today. Enabling the same markup to work the same across different browsers is as crucial for HTML5’s success as performance."

The problem is that HTML5 will still continue to be "a work in progress" until proposed ratification in 2022 (I s#*7 you not).  Until that time, the W3C is still going to go hands-off on the proposals.

If Microsoft really wants it this way, they should tell the W3C to go suck a lemon and partner with every web browser developer to build a better web rendering standard.  The W3C doesn't want to get involved in mandating rendering specifications for every component of HTML markup and CSS support, and therein lies the problem.  If HTML5 is to succeed, they need to lock in on a specified feature set - SOON - and also develop real standards for rendering.  Previous versions of HTML were pretty lax in implementing certain features, but now that there's at least somewhat more competition with Firefox, they need to start building better alliances so that standardization is an achievable goal.  

I doubt it'll work in the long run though.  There's just too many differing corporate attitudes, and they're all trying to compete.  Here's the situation the situations that you've got today:

Apple + Google

Apple vs. Google

Apple vs. Microsoft

Microsoft vs. Google

Apple + Microsoft

Microsoft vs. Firefox

FSF vs. Microsoft

FSF + Firefox

FSF + Google

(FSF + Google) vs. Firefox

(Firefox + FSF) vs. Google

(Opera + Firefox) vs. (Google + Apple)

Google vs. (Apple + Google)

Google vs. Everyone

Microsoft vs. Everyone

Apple vs. Everyone

FSF vs. (FSF + Everyone, except Microsoft)

Until most of these disputes are worked out, I don't see HTML5 becoming anything more than Apple's love child.  There's just too much FUD surrounding it from all sides.  HTML5 has a stigma about it.

Let's take a different spin on this....

You know, the biggest problem facing web-based stuff in general is that it's trying to be something more than what it was originally designed for.

What happened to the ideal that web rendering engines actually COULD be different?  That was one of the primary pillars of HTML when it was founded.  The concept was around content, not context.  The W3C actually allowed, and even promoted the idea that rendering engines be different.  There was something better about the purity of websites back then too.  When did people start getting hung up on the idea of a web browser as an application platform?  I really think the notion is a bit silly.  If you want to develop an app using HTML as a layout engine, bundle your own engine with it if you don't like how web browsers work.  Putting restrictions on how a rendering engine works goes against the W3C's original ideals.

Here's an idea:  Turn web browsers into "portal applications".  Let web browser developers make the HTML rendering engine modular, abstract it from the host application, and construct a way to host it remotely.  Each web browser developer would need to manage their rendering engine separate from the host application, but they would be able to separate development teams into those that build the engine, and those that design the UI.  Updates would happen separately.  Then, website developers can make calls to whatever engine they want, similar to how they can make calls to XML schema stored in central repositories.  The web portal app can just take the HTML rendered output and manage it as a display surface.  Then, it could be ported to managed/native API's, so it would benefit from hardware acceleration and be composited into the display window on each platform.

Problem with web interoperability?:  SOLVED!