To be sure, this is partially because we only make Recommendations -- we
don't claim to make Standards, and we don't waste time on CYA
superstructure to review, rereview, and authorize any moves. And we have
staff to expedite the process, not just volunteers.
RK
----------
> From: Chris Lilley <Chris.Lilley@sophia.inria.fr>
> Subject: Re: RFC 2083 on PNG: Portable Network Graphics
> Date: Wednesday, January 22, 1997 12:36 PM
Short version:
- We are faster than IETF
- W3C REC and IETF RFC are identical in content
Long version:
26 Nov 1995
PNG draft submitted to W3C, issued as WD-png-951126.html (on 8 Dec)
23 February 1996
PNG draft issued as IETF Internet Draft (some folk on the list prefer
W3C, some prefer "the more tried and tested" IETF
30 May 1996
Tom Lane declares concensus, `The PNG Spec Is Done.' It still has
Draft boilerplate at the top and will have 0.98 in the filename "until
the W3C and IETF folks finish whatever it is they do". Internet Draft
sent to RFC editor to grab a place in the queue for Informational RFC
(inbetween: lots of copy editing on the 'finished' spec ;-)
01 July 1996
PNG spec Proposed Recommendation document produced
11 July 1996
PNG spec approved by IETF for publication as Informational RFC
'in two weeks'
12 July 1996
PNG Proposed Recommendation released for member review, closing date
for voting is 24:00 GMT 31 August 1996
15 Sept 1996
TimBL approves PNG as W3C Recommendation
01 October 1996
PNG announced as W3C Recommendation, with press release
14 October 1996
IANA approves image/png MIME registration
15 January 1997
IETF releases PNG spec as Informational RFC 2083
17 January 1997
Glenn Randers-Pehrson sends list of technical errors introduced by RFC
editor with request for them to be fixed.
Summary:
Even though we had to liase with members, add in feedback from review, and
create publicity, W3C issued the specification (in multiple formats)
without errors, in 14 days. IETF took 6 months and counting. The place
in the RFC queue was not lost, because all changes (to track the W3C
document) were submitted as 'editorial not technical in nature'.
W3C is *fast*. And accurate.
-- Chris Lilley, W3C [ http://www.w3.org/ ] Graphics and Fonts Guy The World Wide Web Consortium http://www.w3.org/people/chris/ INRIA, Projet W3C chris@w3.org 2004 Rt des Lucioles / BP 93 +33 (0)4 93 65 79 87 06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France