Scope for W3C's Mobile Web Best Practices published

[Colin Dunstan]

The Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group has released the first Public Working Draft of Scope of Mobile Web Best Practices. This document outlines guidelines for content delivery and display on mobile and small-screen devices, sets out requirements for the "mobileOK" trustmark, and identifies the goal of one Web.

[Brian]

For millions, if not billions of people, their first exposure an main access to the web will be through the use of wirelessly enabled handheld devices, especially in developing countries. Therefore, the democratization of the mobile web through the implementation of open standards and access to the same information on the mobile web ("One Web"), and preventing commercial interests from creating barriers to these goals are all very important. It's great to see that the W3C values democratization first and foremost, which will help bridge the digital divide:

The number and nature of devices through which the Web may be accessed continues to grow. At one extreme, web content may be displayed on enormous plasma screens in public places with stadium-filling sound systems. However, the Mobile Web Initiative is primarily concerned with the opposite end of the spectrum — small, mobile devices. Given their proliferation and increasing diversity, making any general assumptions about specific device capabilities and/or particular circumstances of their use are, at best, unwise.

They cite demographics and an important consideration:

demographics
There are already many more mobile phones in the world than there are desktop computers and increasingly these devices are equipped with Web browsing capabilities. The phone may be the only way of accessing the Web that is available to some people, who may have no experience of accessing the Web using a desktop computer.

It sounds like they're off to a great start. Let's all cross our fingers that other interests with less noble motivations don't undermine these goals.