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>Whenever someone process a document XML representing an invoice >(if that ever happens), he is processing the data at the semantic >level, not the lexical level. He is, as he is (or is under the illusion of) ascribing meaning to the symbols he is manipulating. >Maybe my choice of the 'semantic' word is unfortunate. Semantics is the mapping of syntactically processed symbols to meaning (at least in the usages I most often experience). >I'm not saying that the program understand the data, of course. >I just mean that processing the data implies looking one level above the > element level, and to process patterns rather than just elements. That level would be syntactic not semantic, looking at what a program actually does when processing an invoice, it is all based on operations defined by symbol matching (lexical) and symbol location and sequence (syntactic). That a task may be automated by a deterministic system directly implies that it is syntactic rather than semantic in nature. Not that the illusion of meaning when typing '2+2=' into a calculator isn't useful. Pete Kirkham ******************************************************************** This email and any attachments are confidential to the intended recipient and may also be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient please delete it from your system and notify the sender. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose or distribute its contents to any other person. ********************************************************************
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