The Pros and Cons of Vendor Prefixes

PPK makes a compelling argument against browser vendors using vendor-specific prefixes:

We’re currently moving toward a situation in which anything that is implemented by two browsers more-or-less automatically becomes a standard. I don’t think that this change of process has been accepted by W3C yet (it might take another generation), but it’s becoming reality as we speak.

While this is true to a degree, what he fails to account for is different implementations of the same effect by different browsers. The border-radius property is a prime example.

The Mozilla implementation differs from the latest W3C draft spec implemented in Opera as well as IE 9. Safari also implements an older version of the W3C spec, and adds the -webkit- prefix. Chrome implements the same spec as Safari with and without the -webkit- prefix.

Sure, maybe the fragmentation could all be avoided by everyone following the draft spec, but it isn't a standard yet, and with good reason. Personally, I think that vendor prefixes are still necessary. Maybe the W3C should change the standard to allow vendors to simply allow others' prefixes when they intend to provide identical implementations.