[uf-discuss] Authority (was: Text::Microformat - a uf parser for Perl)

Fri Apr 27 08:22:03 PDT 2007

Keith Grennan wrote:
>> I agree. I really hope "microformat" won't turn into just another
>> term for "semantic HTML." Clear communication is difficult enough
>> already without additional ambiguity.
>>>> I think it already has.
>> It's like Adobe trying to control how people use the word 'photoshop'.

It certainly seems to be heading that way. But now that we recognise 
this problem (it was discussed quite a bit at the microformats dinner 
in SF recently), we can't try to take steps to help clarify the 
situation. POSH advocacy is a good start. It may be a silly name but 
it's an important step in making it clear that microformats are 
narrowly defined but built on top of semantic markup -- a much wider 
pool:
http://microformats.org/wiki/posh
> As the popularity of the term microformat grows, you might have to 
> look
> for higher ground that's easier to defend. Because really, who 
> wants to
> spend their time and energy being language police?

I hope it won't come to that but you're right about the language 
police: I feel like I've spent most of today blogging, leaving 
comments and responding to emails in an attempt to set people 
straight on what does and doesn't constitute a microformat. But like 
I said, at least now that we recognise the problem, we can make a 
concerted effort to deal with it. I hope that work won't be Sisyphean.
> ps. I realize that I'm a newcomer to this community, so I hope I'm not
> offending anyone. Hopefully my comments are valuable as an outsider's
> first impression.

As an newcomer, your comments are probably the most valuable and 
relevant on this issue. Much appreciated.
Bye,
Jeremy
-- 
Jeremy Keith
a d a c t i o
http://adactio.com/