Spinning the Web [World Wide Web standardisation]

The World Wide Web may not be owned, controlled or regulated, but it still needs standards. Like the Internet, which underpins it, the Web has been developed by, and for the needs of, the international research community. The issues and features important to researchers will not always match the requirements of business. Witness the issue of security. Academic researchers have a natural bias towards the open exchange of information; for business, however, secure communications is a basic requirement. Also, no business is going to make a serious commitment to the Web, possibly risking its commercial future, unless it has confidence in the Web standardisation process. Out of such concerns a new business-oriented Web organisation has come into being-the World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C. The author reports on a meeting of the consortium and highlights the issues and standards that need to be addressed in order to adapt the Web to the needs of business.