[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message]

Re: Re: URIs, concrete

• To: jborden@a...
• Subject: Re: Re: URIs, concrete
• From: Uche Ogbuji <uche.ogbuji@f...>
• Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 15:51:59 -0600
• Cc: xml-dev@l..., "Simon St.Laurent" <simonstl@s...>
• In-reply-to: Message from jborden@a... of "Tue, 30 Jul 2002 16:47:46 -0000." <20020730164752.JMEG24567.rwcrmhc51.attbi.com@rwcrwbc56>
• Sender: uche.ogbuji@f...

> Simon St.Laurent wrote:
> 
> [[
> The namespaces specification made a simple but horrid 
> mistake in failing to recognize the close relationship 
> between an attribute and its containing element.  That 
> there is a difference between:
> 
> <x:foo x:bar="bogus"/>
> 
> and:
> 
> <x:foo bar="bogus"/>
> 
> seems like yet another consequence of a disastrous 
> specification.  ... It's time to start fixing stuff 
> instead of just letting bad decisions perpetuate 
> themselves.  In practice, I really doubt that this will 
> break ANY applications.
> ]]
> 
> It has been generally acknowledged that you are correct 
> in that there _ought not_ be such a distinction but the 
> problem is that changing the specification at this stage 
> of the game, actually would break any number of real 
> world programs e.g.
> 
> <xsl:template match="x:foo[@x:bar]"> ...
> 
> now perhaps such XSLT could be recognized and auto-
> xformed into:
> 
> <xsl:template match="x:foo[@bar]"> ...
> 
> but I'm sure that I've written something like the above 
> any number of times.

Well, AFAIK, the only spec that enshrines the silly

<x:foo x:bar/>

Practice is the new RDF syntax.  I think this was an astonishingly bad idea, 
and I've railed about it at length on www-rdf-interest.

If such a change in XMLNS breaks such already broken specs, personally, I 
would shed nary a tear.  The Right Thing is the Right Thing.  That's all.

BTW, I'd like to see technical reasoning from anyone who says that Simon is 
wrong on the unprefixed attribute issue.  I've only heard loud declarations 
that he is wrong, without any backing.  Then again, I've only kept one eye on 
this thread lately.


-- 
Uche Ogbuji                                    Fourthought, Inc.
http://uche.ogbuji.net    http://4Suite.org    http://fourthought.com
Track chair, XML/Web Services One Boston: http://www.xmlconference.com/
Basic XML and RDF techniques for knowledge management, Part 7 - 
http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-think12.html
Keeping pace with James Clark - http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/libra
ry/x-jclark.html
Python and XML development using 4Suite, Part 3: 4RDF - 
http://www-105.ibm.com/developerworks/education.nsf/xml-onlinecourse-bytitle/8A
1EA5A2CF4621C386256BBB006F4CEC

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: Re: URIs, concrete
    • From: David Carlisle <davidc@n...>

• References:
  • Re: Re: URIs, concrete
    • From: jborden@a...

• Prev by Date: RE: Doubt
• Next by Date: RE: Re: URIs, concrete
• Previous by thread: Re: Re: URIs, concrete
• Next by thread: Re: Re: URIs, concrete
• Index(es):
  • Date
  • Thread