Rachel,

Although it looks like WaSP has been “played” by Microsoft, I don’t think that’s what actually happened. Based on blog posts from Jeffrey, Eric and Molly, it looks more like Molly’s pressure for openness convinced MS that they could discuss this feature before shipping — and then Aaron (understandably) took the opportunity to get it out in the open as soon as possible.

ALA just assumed that WaSP was fully informed on the issue, and that it was a done deal — and then was shocked at the response. A major misunderstanding, but it doesn’t look deliberate to me.

I agree with you that the implied endorsement of this proposal by WaSP is what makes it unpalatable — presented almost as a “web standard”. If MS had insisted on doing it, and WaSP acquiesced but didn’t actively endorse it, there would have been less controversy.

I think the most positive outcome of this is the openness of your post — it’s surely a good idea to talk about the issues WaSP faces, instead of hoping they’ll go away.