When open standards win, it's usually because the platform was built on them, like email or podcasts.

That's the perception I'm trying to counter with the web technology examples I gave above.

I was there building the web, on proprietary products, and I believed that, myself.

I'm delighted to report that I was wrong.

It took decades, but the far less visible corner of the web running on open technologies is now the only portion we currently still have.

With a big delightful exception for Shockwave Flash, and the folks valiantly keeping it alive to preserve it's part in gaming history.