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Re: Distributed RDDL: A proposal

• To: xml-dev@l...
• Subject: Re: Distributed RDDL: A proposal
• From: "Thomas B. Passin" <tpassin@c...>
• Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 09:27:49 -0500
• In-reply-to: <20040327081206.A95194@a...>
• References: <20040327081206.A95194@a...>
• User-agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 0.5 (Windows/20040207)

Eric Hanson wrote:
> 
> Let's talk about how to design a system of distributed RDDL,
> aimed at enabling pluggable support for XML.  Let's borrow
> concepts from RDDL, Cocoon sitemaps and DNS to make this system
> distributed and open.  And let's do it before a closed or
> proprietary solution takes off.
> 

I do not think there is much of a problem in picturing how to have a 
decentralized system for this.  FOAF could be a model.  Each FOAF file 
can point to other FOAF files that may contain relevant information.

> Distributed RDDL has been discussed previously [1] but more with
> the focus on schemas and DTDs.  Let's talk about how to do it
> for use by applications, especially for generating pluggable
> user ineterfaces for modules like RSS supports.
> 

Where I am having a problem in this thread is in understanding what 
people are asking for in the first place.  Is it browser plugins?  That 
works for java applets (usually), and sometimes for browser plugins 
(sometimes not, as for the Adobe svg plugin which works for IE but not 
Mozilla).

If the wish is applets and plugins, there are already mechanisms, and 
all that would be necessary would be to generalize them so that they can 
be used on random xml files.  That could be done with a PI, like the 
stylesheet PI/

If the wish is to go beyond applets and plugins, I don't see what 
general thing is being desired.  I have an arbitrary app written in an 
arbitrary language, and I am supposed to dereference some code in 
another arbitrary language that would do ... what? ... let me view the 
xml document? ... add up the numbers in a spreadsheet? ... recreate a 
graphic? ...  check validity? ... I don't think so!

What is supposed to become available here?

Cheers,

Tom P

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