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RE: Syntax and semantics

• From: "David Galbraith" <david@m...>
• To: <xml-dev@x...>
• Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 14:49:58 -0700

Dave Winer wrote:

> David, this came up at the xml protocols shakedown yesterday at www9, and
> i've never understood how it can work. At some point human beings
> must agree
> to something. From there it's a matter of saying something is
> equivalent to
> what they agreed to. So bfd. You have the equivalent of a #define. Unless
> I'm missing something which is why I'm posting this message.
> Please help me
> understand where the rocket science is here. Dave

>You have the equivalent of a #define
Yes I don't disagree, it's just that the 'definitions' will have to be more
rigorous. This will be the mother of all bfds. Message interchange over the
Internet poses different problems from what has occurred in the past.

I don't think that there is anything wrong with saying that a message can
convey semantics or signs that does not mean to say that a machine will know
how to interpret them, a message which is a picture of a pipe is not a pipe.
However, arguments about semantics always seem to become circular... they
end up being over semantics.

DG

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
David Galbraith - Chief Architect
Moreover.com - the webfeed company
david@m...
415-577-8828 (US)
0777-565-8880 (UK)
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  • Re: Syntax and semantics
    • From: "Dave Winer" <dave@u...>

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