Gregory's Server@aral @w3c You were mislead. Yes, big companies are members; they pay big $€¥ for the opportunity. The vast majority of members are tiny companies & orgs from all over the world who pay a nominal fee. The W3C itself is actually a tiny org that provides an international structure & space for all members & invited experts to come together. The goal is to standardize foundational technologies to keep the web open, accessible, and interoperable. 1/3
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 @aral @w3c No, that’s not good. But, without W3C a few big corps would control it ALL or would have killed it off. I guarantee the web would not be what it is today—in fact it might not even functionally exist—if Tim Berners-Lee had not started W3C. I was always impressed by the efforts of myriad participants over the years, including those from big companies. I am deeply grateful that I got to participate. I encourage you to contribute; you might feel differently. 3/3 |
@aral @w3c At any one time there are dozens of active Working Groups, Community Groups, Interest Groups. It takes money to enable the coordination & maintenance of all that work. Think of the big members as largely paying to enable this work. The geeks in the room have passionate discussions & exploration to reach consensus on solutions. The large & small orgs come to understand each other’s needs. Yes, sometimes big companies (usually those with browsers) dominate. 2/3