Save the Validators

open source them

Submitted by nate on December 22, 2008 - 16:23.

it's expensive to host a free service used by millions - open source the validators and just provide access to the repository. most shops could easily host it internally. heck, create a virtual machine and make it downloadable - no configuration worries.

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Open Source? Done!

Submitted by olivier T on December 22, 2008 - 21:37.

Hi Nate, you are right that running such a popular service does cost a bit. I'm afraid, however, that the solution is far more complex than just “make it downloadable”.

For one thing, like all W3C software, the validators are already open-source. Download and installation info are available here for the Markup Validator and here for the CSS validator, for example.

The real issue, however, is not so much hosting. I tried to explain how the costly factor is not hardware or bandwidth, but human (staffing for development and maintenance) in a W3C Questions and Answers Blog.

Thanks for your thoughts (and many thanks erika for the original post). I find it extremely exciting that the Web community is looking more closely at the validators, getting involved in saving them, and making them even better.

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Open Source? Meh...

Submitted by red_nnnno on March 17, 2009 - 18:18.

I'm with Olivier but with a twist (Haha.. ok that was lame).

Anyhow my point is that even though it is indeed opensource, the installation process is about as appealing as scooping your own eyes out with a spork. Just read the intruction steps - then read the articles about how to install it. In today's realtity where we like immediate answers, the currently offered "open source solution" won't acheive anything significant until one builds a simple "Click next to install" package which in the end you get the page prompting you to specify where to find the file you need to check. And on top of that it needs to be updated reguralery (and automatically).

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Looked pretty simple to me

Submitted by MartinB on March 17, 2009 - 21:20.

I read the install of the Markup Validator docs, and it seemed pretty easy. Anyone who ought to be running their own server should find it really simple - install a few prereqs in the standard Unix way, add a couple of Perl modules and then update your Apache config.

Granted, not as simple as apt-get install w3c-validator, but pretty close for anyone with more than a few days' worth of Unix sysadmin.

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Simpler than MartinB indicates

Submitted by Max Nanasy on April 11, 2009 - 22:44.

It's not as simple as 'apt-get install w3c-validator', but for me at least, it is as simple as 'apt-get install w3c-markup-validator', as indicated at the instructions on the site.

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what is wrong with people

Submitted by popper on July 20, 2009 - 17:24.

People seriously need to STOP USING PERL!!! I am a very strong computer programmer, and Perl makes me shudder and weep. There is usually no reason to even use it, especially WITH PHP. Only Perl guru's really understand Perl well enough to use it. (or read it or modify it) It really shouldn't be used ever again. People need to just let it die as a language. Whereas, even people who don't know PHP, but can program in some other language (except maybe Perl), can pretty much understand and read and modify PHP if they have to or want to. Not even close to being the same with Perl. Someone needs to take Perl out behind the shed and shoot it in the head. RIP

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PERL

Submitted by samanthacherley on October 7, 2009 - 09:04.

Perl wasn't meant for PHP so that is why people have so much trouble with it when it comes to PHP. So to speak in metaphors, it would be like trying to teach quantum logics to a computer that uses binary logic. That is somehow impossiblem wouldn't you agree?

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