Re: [9fans] Webbrowser

[Jack Johnson <fragment@nas.com>]

Scott Schwartz wrote:
> By the way, in my opinion the only reason HTML survived at all is because
> of NCSA Mosaic, which was the first fun way for people to look at other
> people's GIFs, and the hacky notation it adopted was simple enough and
> just barely good enough for the crude page layout that people wanted
> to do, with absolutely no consideration for SGML sensibilities until
> long after the fact.

The same could be said of email's roots, where now it's often
encumbered/enhanced by enriched text, HTML formatting, or alternate
character sets that weren't necessarily envisioned previously.

We always try to use our tools for something other than their original
intent.  What you see as HTML's failing is also HTML's strength.  It's
more *our* failing for using it as some kind of panacea.  Plus, HTML
over HTTP beats sucking down PostScript files via gopher, wais or ftp.

After all, where was troff's presence during the gopher years?  What
ever happened to HyperTeX ( http://xxx.lanl.gov/hypertex/ )?  There are
always better alternatives, but more often we're willing to settle for
just good enough.

-Jack