A recent call for action from W3C representative Daniel Glazman sparked a reaction from Dustin Curtis. It led to more discussions around the web about standardization and proprietary enhancements.
The approaching danger Daniel Glazman writes about is certainly frightening. Last it took us over a decade to resolve the hell caused by Internet Explorer 6 and we are still reeling from the experience. We do NOT want that again.
On the other hand we can not have the web stagnate because the Wide Web Consortium can not agree on standards and start delivering at a higher pace. Do not get me wrong - I believe they are doing a stellar job, but it is just not going fast enough.
We need to have these experimental features out in the wild to drive innovation. Else we risk having the web past over for a technology that can give developers cooler tools to work with. Good riddance, Flash!
So with all these contesting parties - what is missing? The vital part to keep this delicate balance. Responsibility. Web developers must assume responbility of what they are doing with and to the web.
Go ahead and use that new awesome 3D transformation property but be absolutely certain your site works flawlessly also without it. Implement rounded corners in CSS3 but be aware that it will look different in browsers that does not support it. And please, do lift your gaze from your navel and be sure to use all the vendor specific prefixes.
I honestly believe we are much better at assuming this responsibility today, than we were some ten years ago. Perhaps we have matured. Either way I am hopeful for the future and think we will see the web keep prospering for many years to come.