[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message] Re: XML complexity, namespaces (was WG)
[James Anderson:] > I would take "used to do architectural forms" to mean that > the information to be inferred from a namespace > declaration would supplant (some portion of) that which > would otherwise have been provided by existing > architectural declarations. Otherwise namespaces are just > "architecture-neutral". > When I wondered about how this might work, it occurred > that the identity between the URI in a namespace > declaration and that in the system-id of a IS10744:arch PI > might be used to infer mappings equivalent to those > provided by the individual architectural mapping > attributes. > The problem with this is that it provides no means to map > the local parts of universal names. Without such a means, > either a given element type maps to exactly one > architectural form (my original question), or the local > parts of the respective type names must be identical in > all architectures (which would seem an equally severe > restriction). That is, the standard architectural > declarations are still necessary and, again namespaces are > "architecture neutral". Yes, I agree that you'd have to enhance the XML Namespaces Recommendation, one way or another. I personally feel such enhancement would be a positive direction for the evolution of XML Namespaces. Since I believe that architectural forms (or something that's functionally equivalent) are both vital and inevitable, I believe there are really only 3 choices here: (1) Invent something completely new in order to support architectural inheritance at the document level. If this means inventing a new schema language to replace DTDs, so be it. (But that alone won't satisfy the requirement that architectural inheritance be possible without a DTD or something like one. Namespaces already have the virtue of working without a DTD.) (2) Use the ISO/IEC 10744:1997 way of doing it (which is already being done with XML in several quarters). It works with or without a DTD, incidentally. This would be just fine with me; I favor collaboration between ISO and W3C. However, the ISO way of inheriting an information architecture isn't perfect. I'd still like to see the future evolutions of XML and SGML remain in harmony with each other. Several people have complained in this forum that Namespaces have various deficiencies. Frankly, the alleged deficiencies haven't bothered me at all [yet]. What bothers me is the stunning departure that Namespaces represent from a path of harmonious co-evolution with the ISO family of architected information interchange standards, and the fact that the distinct goal toward which Namespaces is driving us is not at all clear to me. Was Namespaces designed as a merely temporary, expedient, under-high-pressure solution? Or is it a step on workable path toward a sensible, efficient, reliable future? (3) The answer to the latter question can be "Yes" if we * Recognize that the reasons for doing architectural inheritance are a compelling superset of the reasons for inventing XML Namespaces. * Accept that there is great need for orderly evolution in XML-land, and allow/cause XML Namespaces to evolve in the general direction of inheritable architectures. I like this third option better than choice #1 because I favor having a only few, general, powerful syntaxes and syntactical features, as opposed to an endless panoply of special-case add-ons. The danger that XML (or, rather, the usefulness and efficiency of XML) will die of such obesity is very real. There are numerous examples of standards, both de facto and de jure, that sooner or later became useless in exactly the same way. -Steve -- Steven R. Newcomb, President, TechnoTeacher, Inc. srn@t... http://www.techno.com ftp.techno.com voice: +1 972 231 4098 (at ISOGEN: +1 214 953 0004 x137) fax +1 972 994 0087 (at ISOGEN: +1 214 953 3152) 3615 Tanner Lane Richardson, Texas 75082-2618 USA 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/ and on CD-ROM/ISBN 981-02-3594-1 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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