What if....

[Sparky]

Not sure where (if anywhere) this should be posted, so i'll just give it a go in here...


If you were to hold a position of authority or importance in the W3C (or any other such organization), what would you want too do? Where would you want too see the web going?

Anything from something simple like making redundant certain tags, updating specifications or languages, or even something more general, like pushing a new/good technology into more mainstream use.

[liorean]

I would like to create an Interface Object Model in paralell to the DOM in combination with a Document Permissions Model for regulating how or what you are allowed to do with it (User control is important). Second, I'd try to make CSS more powerful by introducing the ability to change rendering order, non-rectangular element shapes, better box model (something alike either SVG or XUL, for instance), and the ability to use css with dynamic expressions. Also, I'd want to introduce a way to specify other sources or compound sources for some attributes. Take for example something as easy as width: 100%-10px;.

Other than that, I'd like to update the http and mime protocols to use UTF-8, and make a way to specify complex content types instead of the linear types of today. Well, there's more, but that's all I can think of just right now.

[mouse]

*Probably* Technology and Sciences discussions, but anyway

I'd be quite boring and introduce text-align: center and I cerainly agree with liorean's width: 100%-10px; example, more control over positioning an sizing of layers would be good.

I think some kind of protocol to prevent spoofed email headers and the like, some kind of verification, would be a good move too.

[brothercake]

Yeah man, definitely compound expressions and non-rectangular boxes in CSS.

I'd also like to see a range of filters as standard - dropshadow, gradient overlays, that kind of thing.

I'd deprecate the window object and make everything descend from document

And I'd elevate the standards themselves from "recommendation" to "prerequisite" - non-compliant user-agents are subject to "non-interoperability" premiums so they pay more for bandwidth

[liorean]

Brothercake - the window object isn't in any spec...

As for ECMAScript object models, I'd prefer a clear splitting up between document, interface and language. Separate the host object (today melded into window) into something named, for example, host. Then, separate all interface objects into sometheng named say, interface. In that you could specify some natural objects such as screen, navigator, history, window (containing titlebar, menubar, statusbar, sidebar, toolbar, scrollbars, viewport etc.), security, privacy, permissions etc.
Then you should of course have the document. You should be able to climb from any element in any direction in it's inheritance or decendancy tree. host should be language related, containing all host objects such as Object, Number, Array, DOMImplementation, Error etc. (including the constructors for DOM and interface objects, and all other native objects.) It should also contain a way to find out what version of ECMAScript it is compatible with. (This meaning the latest version you are FULLY conformant with. You should need some form of compliancy test from ECMAs side to be allowed to return a certain version.)

[Alex Vincent]

On the original question: I'd work specifically to add more support for mathematics as it is taught in high schools.

I've been fighting a losing battle on this issue already; in a nutshell, we don't have any language for mathematical geometry (SVG doesn't use mathematics to define shapes or relations between objects), or for mathematical theorems (XHTML is fine for some theorems, but others might like a two-column proof, or whatever).

However, with my discovery of XBL, it might just be possible to put out a workable demo... already I think I've shown jkd a few samples of presentation markup for points, angles, line segments, rays, lines, arcs, and circles (not all conic sections, though). One hard part is finding the time to really develop it, as I'm quite deep into hacking Mozilla's DOM Inspector right now. (Another is making sure I can put food in my stomach.)

[whackaxe]

id love to add more customability to form elements

but i would want to keep the web open to all users. ones with crap computers (like me )) and differnt tags or something for good computers

[zoobie]

Issue thick coke-bottle glasses, pocket-protectors, and flood pants to anyone who answers this question.

[mouse]

I'd also force browsers to recognize English and other languages in html, for example 'colour' or 'couleur' would be valid, not just American spelling.

[scroots]

mouse people in england should team up and make ehtml (or something like that) which is english html. i'm sure some people could right a rendering engine, as all it would be is a few alterations to an existing one.

scroots

[chrismiceli]

I would make all newly released browser support only the same version of javascript, the same version of html, the same version of all the languages, and not the older ones.

[cg9com]

Whackaxe - id love to add more customability to form elements

Like what? You can already do plenty, besides form elements serve a purpouse, you dont want them looking like something other than what they are.

chrismiceli - I would make all newly released browser support only the same version of javascript, the same version of html, the same version of all the languages, and not the older ones.

The internet and technologies are constantly a work in progress, if we excluded old markup etc. for every new browser, then the internet documents would just not work, upgrading would suck.

I mean i kind of like the fact that IE understands tag-soup well, and can still show markup thats basically a nightmare, this is what makes the internet so popular, HTML4 is easy, and good for an inexperienced user, or someone who really doesnt care all that much about it.
and worldwide publishing is a definate plus, hence the internets popularity.

[whackaxe]

customizable radio buttons as well as file boxs, like modifying "browse" to something else or maybe changing the arrow colour in a select box