Andy Rutledge wrote this post about web standards that I thought was a pretty good description of the “why” behind standards. He says that web standards are not being marketed properly; that it’s not about compliance, but about quality. He says:
The general public does not care about Web standards any more than it cares [...]
WordPress plugin directory
WordPress has finally released their Plugin Directory! More than a list of links, it offers a rating system, immediate download, and (I love this) commenting, so that you can get a better idea of how a plugin might actually work on your site. The WordPress wizards spent some time developing this section and it shows. [...]