SIGOSSEE / JOIN

I've been meaning to do some serious writing on the subject of why "small and loose" standards are the right path for many developments we would like to see in software for education. I did manage to write a little about it in the draft report on standards and architectures, but there is so much left to say...

I'm delighted to see that a new organisation has been formed which appears to take this as a founding principle: Microformats.org

Microformats are a set of simple, open data formats built upon existing and widely adopted standards. Instead of throwing away what works today, microformats intend to solve simpler problems first by adapting to current behaviors and usage patters (e.g. XHTML, blogging).

From the new site's "Learn more about microformats" page:

Designed for humans first and machines second, microformats are a set of simple, open data formats built upon existing and widely adopted standards. Instead of throwing away what works today, microformats intend to solve simpler problems first by adapting to current behaviors and usage patters (e.g. XHTML, blogging).

This is so good I have to quote it more fully :o):

the microformats principles

• solve a specific problem
• start as simple as possible
  • solve simpler problems first
  • make evolutionary improvements
• design for humans first, machines second
  • be presentable and parsable
  • visible data is better than invisible metadata
  • adapt to current behaviors and usage patterns, e.g. (X)HTML, blogging
• reuse building blocks from widely adopted standards
  • semantic, meaningful (X)HTML. See SemanticXHTMLDesignPrinciples for more details.
  • existing microformats
  • well established schemas from interoperable RFCs
• modularity / embeddability
  • design to be reused and embedded inside existing formats and microformats
• enable and encourage decentralized development, content, services
  • explicitly encourage "spirit of the Web"