Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.
Response to Tim O'Reilly
Author: Dave Winer Posted: 10/8/1999; 8:45:47 AM Topic: Msg #: 11854 (In response to 0) Prev/Next: 11853 / 11855
I sent this email in response to Tim O'Reilly's piece on XML.COM this morning.Tim, I read the text of your Tokyo speech this morning, and thanks for the mention of "XML-RPC", and relating it to "SOAP", and thanks for showing also that the commercial world comes up with stuff that then reasonably should flow into the open source world. The innovation is two-way, not one-way, and getting this idea in front of Linux people, where ever they may be (Tokyo!) is a good thing.
I think you're onto something. It is totally possible for software to embrace the web the same way writers have. Open Source is nice when it makes sense, but it's a fraction of what makes the web the web. The web is the medium that's organized against fear. I'm not scared to link to you, you're not scared to link to me. If Linux and Perl and everything open source are to define the web, they must embrace everything, as the web does, they must link to others as URIs link to other websites. That's how operating systems and scripting environments become the web -- by linking, and linking is done with XML and HTTP. Isn't it perfect? It's almost mathematical.
I want Linux to be the web, but to do that we have to lose the fear to work with Windows and Mac. I know I've been singing this tune for a long time, but we have Microsoft right where we want them, now I hear "it just takes time." But I know that the web at its best takes no time. I did some work on "cookies" this morning. Yes we're still doing stuff with cookies, 4+ years after they were invented. What an idea. If they had happened a year later they never would have happened. One day there were cookies and the next day all the servers supported them. No DTDs, schemas, or any need to display cookies in a web browser. Nothing to wait for, it just happened.
Anyway I'm rambling. The meeting I had with Dale and Peter was an eye-opener. I also read Tim Berners-Lee's book about the early days of the web. I can see the big role that O'Reilly played, adding to that the stories that Dale told me. Looking forward to finding new ways we can work together.
Dave
PS: While I may want Linux to be the web, I know it can't be. The web is inclusive. Linux can be part of the web, an ever more important part, but it can only be a part. Linux has to lose its world dominance attitude, or else it's just as bad as a website that tries to capture browsers and keep them locked in. Same deal.
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