I'm really surprised at some of the reaction to the HTML extensions Apple announced in a demo at the WWDC. [Actually, I'm not surprised. Someone, somewhere on the internet reacts violently to any statement, no matter how mundane]. But I'm not interested in the "how dare Apple copy Konfabulator" reaction; I'm watching what the "standards wonks" have to say.

Tim Bray weighed in on the topic.

I feel Mr. Bray's pain, I really do.

But I rarely hear people say, "Yes, I understand that the this standards body has become a calcified bureaucracy, mired in minutiae. It really makes innovation difficult.." That would be too much concession, I suppose.

Apple's strategy, as outlined by Dave Hyatt, strikes me as rather pragmatic, and middle of the road. I'd love to hear more honest feedback that doesn't boil down to "everyone should rewrite all markup in [insert XML solution here]."