[wp-hackers] WP issues

[Otto]

On 5/31/07, Geoffrey Sneddon <foolistbar at googlemail.com> wrote:
>         a) If you focus on web standards, why is that very page served as
> text/html while having an XHTML 1.1 DOCTYPE?
>...
>         c) WordPress uses XHTML served as text/html, which MAY be done. Why
> does this (the blogosphere) "particular marketplace requires it or
> because the vendor feels that it enhances the product"[RFC2119] (from
> the normative definition of MAY)?

I'm surprised people still ask this question... The answer is
backwards compatibility, of course. IE7 still won't render
application/xhtml+xml. Until *the* major browser renders it, there's
no reason to serve it up as such.

>         b) WordPress by default uses a DOCTYPE that exists for transiting to
> standards. If you have a focus on web standards, why is this
> transition still going on after many years?

Whoa... Are you seriously blaming Wordpress for the whole HTML to
XHTML transitional period?

Wordpress tries to follow standards, but I think that people want
their sites to actually work in modern browsers and on the modern web
as well. The idea is to keep current, not to be so cutting edge that
you slice your own toes off.

As for the inevitable "why XHTML" question, well, the answer there is
even simpler: There is no reason. It's up to the theme author. You can
make an HTML only theme for Wordpress without any real difficulty at
all, if you like. Themes control the content.