From: Sam Duncan <sduncan@...>
Date: 2011-03-11T04:36:41+09:00
Subject: Re: W3C Standards Compliant

On 10/03/11 23:10, Shadowfirebird wrote:
> I don't see that as answering the question; sorry.  Is W3C standards compliance relevant, and if so, how seriously should we take it?
>
> The pragmatic approach -- that if current browsers can read the page, it's okay -- can only go so far.
>
>    

Yes, well I didn't see much of a question - more of a foaming diatribe, 
and a few advertisments. W3C standards compliance is not something you 
can rely on. Not something you have ever been able to rely on. Not 
something you will ever be able to rely on. Take it as seriously as you 
like for your own work (as we have witnessed some do), but don't rely on 
others doing the same for your benefit. The modern (and pragmatic) 
approach is to use a data API where available, and perhaps suggest or 
develop one where not. Screen scraping is very 1996, and certainly not 
something commercial operations are going to go out of their way to support.

Sam