We know that W3C validation is a valuable tool when creating and maintaining effective web pages. But what is the real purpose of the W3C? And who are those people, any way? This interesting subject you may wish to explore on your own, but I will be happy to provide an overview. Actually the W3C themselves have provided lots of links and information about themselves, not being the shy or retiring types of people it would seem. You can explore their site for further information. They have even more convincing reasons to insist on W3C validated code than I do. They are a great sales team for valid code and the writers of valid code.

As to who they are, the latest numbers I could find indicated three-hundred-sixty-five members, and an untold number of active netizens. Actually they are legion, and they are us, to the extent that we interact and involve ourselves with the project. The project started with and up to this time is still headed by Tim Berners-Lee. The W3C on their People page state flat-out that Berners-Lee is the man who invented the Web. Well, ok, they make a good case, though he didn’t do it absolutely alone. He didn’t invent the Internet, of course, any more that Al Gore did. And neither man has claimed that, in spite of misunderstood an possibly maliciously misquoted statements. Berners-Lee was certainly very instrumental in the formation of standards that make the Web practical and functional. As a historical note and a point for further research, Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf, the designers of TCP/IP, the basis for the Internet, give poor old Al huge credit for encouraging and supporting the development of the Internet. You can look that up on your own time.

As to what the W3C does, and the purpose of the W3C, opinions vary. I will refrain from looking up and republishing their purpose statement right now, and try to paraphrase from memory. They state something like their purpose in developing standards is to protect or ensure the long-term growth of the Web. Boy, that sounds high-minded and noble. I don’t believe it, though. Or more exactly, I don’t believe their control is needed to ensure the long-term growth of the Web. It is clear that we the human population of this planet want the Web, use the Web, and are going to continue to do so. I’m pretty sure we would do that without Berners-Lee and the W3C and their standards control.

In the real web world, if you look up the purpose of the W3C, you’ll get references to validation. At least that’s what I find. Wiki pages, and all kind of other pages, will appear telling you about the various validation services, and mostly focusing on document validation. And that brings us back where we started on this website. W3C validated code is good. W3C validation is an excellent thing to achieve. We can agree on that, at least. Whether we like and approve of everything the W3C does, says, or stands for, it is good to have a coder in your corner that understands the way validation works. Because W3C validated sites work, and that is the goal we are all working toward.