&#62; <i>This is exactly how we ended up with things like ActiveX and Flash in the first place.</i><p>No, and I really don't see the resemblance. We ended up with ActiveX, Flash and Java (you forgot about it) in the first place, because there was no other way to get around the browser's limitations.<p>In fact it's quite the opposite ... wasn't XmlHttpRequest implemented first as an ActiveX object in IExplorer 5? Or do you think some standards body magically came up with it and everyone was happy?<p>H264 is the current standard for video, with lots of tools and lots of momentum ... in order to replace it you'll have to put a whole lot more on the table than ideology.