Re:W3C Working Group Just Killed Web SQL Database
by sid0 on Friday November 19, 2010 @03:07PM
(#1922591)
Well, I think having two implementations is necessary for a "standard" to actually truly be one, because if there's just one then you might as well be standardizing on the implementation rather than on the spec. I don't agree with standardizing on implementations in principle.
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Re:W3C Working Group Just Killed Web SQL Database
by Groxx on Friday November 19, 2010 @05:27PM
(#1923064)
Hardly. An API can exist entirely without implementation, and pulling an API from an implementation doesn't need to expose any details of the implementation. That's kind of the point of an API - it's an abstraction. And what are the specs, if not APIs?
Not standardizing on an implementation: makes sense. Refusing to standardize on an API until there are two+ implementations: ?
Re:W3C Working Group Just Killed Web SQL Database
by wmf on Friday November 19, 2010 @06:43PM
(#1923287)
Refusing to standardize on an API until there are two+ implementations: ?
There are good reasons for this, like uncovering undocumented-but-essential behavior. I think if you are going to standardize an API you should have two implementations, but I also think it's reasonable to standardize a single implementation as long as it is licensed so that everyone can use it (e.g. SQLite).