98939 - (enh) Tag Decoders changed from files

Status: VERIFIED WONTFIX

(Core :: DOM: Core & HTML, enhancement)

Description

[Adrian]

Everything Mozilla understands (tags), is exactly the same as the w3c says it
should. But Mozilla is the only one - and that can be a great problem of
mozilla, if it won't change. Ie. Internet Explorer's DHTML standards are the
most often used in the web. The ideal DOM-like pages don't exist (maybe on
netscape.com). So why woudn't Mozilla accept more than just tough w3c standards?
But to make it compatible, I thought Mozilla could have an option of selection:
A)Mozilla 5.0 (the DOM standards, nothing more, nothing less)
B)Netscape 4(Compatible with both page for Moz5, and Moz4)
C)Internet Explorer 4(Compatible only with pages just for IE)
etc.

Also a installation option would be usefull. Installing, of course, files with
precursions which tags predefine, and how to do it. Next step would be extending
this by JavaScript

window.engine.defineTag('<mytag frstthng=text scndthng=number>','=?<xml sumthn
...>','sumthing.sumthing(sumthing)..<JS code here>..document.write("hi")'enable);

<mytag frstthng='Welcome' scndthng=33>

 the same as
<xml sumthn ..<Out of ideas> >
<script>sumthing.sumthing(sumthing)..<JS code here>..document.write("hi")
</script>


Well, you understand the idea (or you should)

Comment 1

[Fabian Guisset]

Marking NEW since it's a enhancement request, but since we have turned down as
many RFE's to implement IE's and NS4's DOM, don't bet your business on it.

Comment 2

[Adrian]

That's bad, because this can make Mozilla die, and I know nothing about C programming ::(

Comment 3

[Christopher Aillon (sabbatical, not receiving bugmail)]

Note that we support DOM HTML, which is a W3C standard, and not exactly "The
Right Thing(tm)".  DOM HTML evolved *only* as a means of standardizing stuff
that NS4 and IE5 brought forth.

If you use DOM HTML, your pages will be compatible with both IE and NS.  IE also
supports DOM CORE standards, so there's no real problem there if you want to use
it.  Instead of using document.all why not use document.forms, etc.?

On a separate note, there will be a ton of pissed off people - those big sites
that we have evangelised.  "You made us switch all our sites over to be W3C
complaint for nothing?!"  Even if some big sites haven't completely switched
over, by doing this, it will be even *worse* for us than no support at all.

Face it, people will realize that people are using NS 6.1/Mozilla.  The number
will gradually grow to be around the 20% userbase that NS 4 has.  Site authors
will not want to shut out 1/5 of customers from their doors, so they move over
to standards code.  And with web tools such as Dreamweaver getting closer to
standards compliance, this will only bode better for us.

Plus the NS 4 faithful will all upgrade eventually.  NS4 has to die and with it,
NS6/Mozilla will rise.  Just the way things are.  IE5 was just as slow to take
off.  So I see the issue at hand as a concern, but nothing more than that.

If we don't take the stand, then no browsers have any chance IMO.  Opera doesn't
stand a chance, Konqueror and KHTML while nice have small user base.  iCab and
OmniWeb look cool but they too don't have as much leverage as Netscape.  So we
must keep our position firm.  Changing it full swing will only bring more
problems than it would fix.  I'm sure Netscape has spent alot of time and money
into thinking about this as well, and this is the route to go.

Anyway, in light of all that, I am marking this WONTFIX (no offense). 
Eventually things will turn.  I don't see Mozilla dying because people are using
it increasingly more as it evolves.  It is IMO on par with and better than MSIE
in some aspects and I know that newer builds just keep getting better and
better.  Once end-users realize this, they will switch over too.

Comment 4

[Adrian]

If you say so... :)

Comment 5

[Fabian Guisset]

For the record, you can read bug 74201 which is an answer from a developer to a
request to implement IE's DOM.

Comment 6

[Sivakiran Tummala]

marking as verified .agree with Christopher Aillon