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From: Bullard, Claude L (Len) <clbullar@i...> > The problem is authority and credibility. If > the public statements of the authorities are > at odds with the policy as expressed in the > record of authority, credibility suffers. This is where I disagree; W3C is a consortium, but it is hosted at several famous universities, so academic (well, quasi-academic) freedom should be extended to its staff. They are not being paid (I hope) to be robots trotting out the party line, except the press officer, but because they are innovative or constructive thinkers and their opinions, right or wrong, are interesting to consider. (Please, no flames.) If the reptiles of the press or even Jo User gets confused by this, they were either born too far from the 60s or they don't know of the positive, challenging influences that universities should have. If people who are influential in making standards are not allowed speak frankly, then standards become merely a dictation rather than part of a human dialog where one can get to know the context and tradeoff. (Speaking from an academic institution whose budget has now been suspended because of parliamentary pique at the academic freedom of our Nobel-prize-winning president, Y.T.Lee. ) Cheers Rick Jelliffe
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