[uf-discuss] Comments from IBM/Lotus rep about Microformats

Tue Dec 5 05:05:51 PST 2006

On 5 Dec 2006, at 11:30, Mike Schinkel wrote:
> For those on this list who are not following [whatwg], here is an
> interesting thread about inability to use Microformats:
>> http://listserver.dreamhost.com/pipermail/whatwg-whatwg.org/2006- 
> December/00
> 8462.html
>> I wonder if his issues can be addressed?

I'm not sure if they can, or not here at least. What I get from his 
message is not a problem with any specific Microformat, but that IBM 
finds the class/rel/rev/profile extension mechanism of HTML too 
limiting for their needs.
In particular, he gives an example of ‘customers submitting their own 
microformats’, which is not the same as what we refer to as 
‘microformats’ at all. In fact, such broad user-defined formats 
sounds distinctly out-of-scope of our efforts.
If handling a large number of discrete user submitted bespoke formats 
is IBM's goal on their project, it's comprehensible that the 
extension mechanisms in HTML probably are inappropriate. Therefore, I 
think they're taking the right path in asking the WHATWG for a more 
suitable mechanism for them and their goal, but it doesn't really 
expose any problems with well specified microformats here.
Ben