[gsnedders]

> are also the biggest W3C donators

I'd be surprised if that were true. (Do they donate anything? I'd be surprised if they did, I suspect they merely pay their membership dues.) The membership fees come at five levels, mostly dependent upon annual revenue; Apple, Microsoft, Google all pay the same as Adobe, Boeing, Dell, Facebook, HP, LG, Netflix, Siemens, Sony, Disney…

[RBO2]

You're right, I meant "contributors". It is not only a question of money: these companies can dedicate people to lead the standardization tasks and push their own interests. That's mostly visible at MPEG with patents (yet another hot subject).

Standards are very important. But the way we make them is still highly improvable.