[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message] Re: Is XML 1.0 underspecified? (was: Re: CDATA by any othername...)
Sean Mc Grath wrote: > > What he said. If the W3C had landed the XML 1.0 in Z or VDM or > something we wouldn't have half as many implementations as we > currently have. Sure we now need more formalism to ensure that > XML goes from strength to strength but without the balance of > approachability/formalism XML 1.0 uses we would not have got > here. Given sufficient technical resources, you can have a very terse, precise specification and tutorials and "annotated specifications" that provide an introductory path to the specification. In the long run, reading a book on Z, a book on XML and a Z-based XML spec is easier than trying to reconstruct the ideas in the authors heads based on imprecise prose. It's not like making an XML parser is a weekend job anyhow! I'm not arguing in favour of Z in particular, however. I'm arguing in favour of some form of precise formalism. One approach might be to come up with a vague mental model, build non-normative formal descriptions to make sure that the ideas are sound and complete, and then transliterate into English. > It must also be rememembered that SGML from which XML sprung > has very complex interplays between parsing modes, logical and > physical structures. Some of this was bound to leak over into > XML. That is certainly true. If we could go back in time and specify SGML in terms of formalisms, it wouldn't be such a hairy language today. Even the relatively simple grove formalism has lain bare the weirdness in SGML (but also highlighted some deep and beautiful symmetries). Hind sight is 20/20. Paul Prescod - http://itrc.uwaterloo.ca/~papresco "The new revolutionaries believe the time has come for an aggressive move against our oppressors. We have established a solid beachhead on Friday. We now intend to fight vigorously for 'casual Thursdays.' -- who says America's revolutionary spirit is dead? xml-dev: A list for W3C XML Developers. To post, mailto:xml-dev@i... Archived as: http://www.lists.ic.ac.uk/hypermail/xml-dev/ To (un)subscribe, mailto:majordomo@i... the following message; (un)subscribe xml-dev To subscribe to the digests, mailto:majordomo@i... the following message; subscribe xml-dev-digest List coordinator, Henry Rzepa (mailto:rzepa@i...)
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