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

Re: XLink olden days

• To: Paul Prescod <paul@p...>
• Subject: Re: XLink olden days
• From: Uche Ogbuji <uche.ogbuji@f...>
• Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 21:27:56 -0600
• Cc: xml-dev@l..., Tim Berners-Lee <timbl@w...>
• In-reply-to: Message from Paul Prescod <paul@p...> of "Sun, 11 Aug 2002 08:26:32 EDT." <3D5657F8.7E741668@p...>
• Sender: uche.ogbuji@f...

> Uche Ogbuji wrote:
> > 
> > ...
> > 
> > Listen, folks.  XML *needs* a general and credible linking specification.
> 
> According to the PTB, XLink is not intended to be a general linking
> specification:

Well, fie!

> > ... I have long expressed support/desire for an RDF serialization 
> > that uses XLink, and in the little experimentation I've undertaken, 
> > I also don't see the insurmountable problems XLink poses.
> 
> This is exactly the kind of use that is outside of the realm of
> hypertext. Naughty!

Double fie!  :-)

> Some of my other thoughts on this issue:
> 
>  * http://www.prescod.net/xml/xlink_popularity/

I certainly agree with what you quoted in your message.

As for the whole of your article, it's at least clearly reasoned, in contrast 
for the anti-XLink argument's I've read so far in this thread.  But I don't 
quite agree with all the main premises.

I agree that XLink becomes more valuable the more it is used.  This is 
precisely why matters such as the HTML group's shunning it drive me up the 
wall.  This is also why I'd like an RDF/XLink representation.

But I don't see the high costs you suggest.  People can learn as much of XLink 
as you use in your vocabulary as easily as they can learn a specialized 
linking vocabulary.  And even if they only ever use one other system that uses 
XLink again in their life, they will have the benefit of prior knowledge.  As 
for the adding one more namespace: I have no truck with that.  XML is verbose. 
 instead of writing

if x then
    print x
else
    print y

we write

<xsl:choose>
  <xsl:when test="$x"><xsl:value-of select="$x"/></xsl:when>
  <xsl:otherwise><xsl:value-of select="$y"/></otherwise>
</xsl:choose>

If this can be successful, then I find it hard to find adding one more 
namespace a significant burden.


-- 
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: XLink olden days
    • From: Paul Prescod <paul@p...>

• References:
  • Re: XLink olden days
    • From: Paul Prescod <paul@p...>

• Prev by Date: RE: Programming for Markup vs. Markup for Programming
• Next by Date: Re: how would one define credible linking?
• Previous by thread: Re: XLink olden days
• Next by thread: Re: XLink olden days
• Index(es):
  • Date
  • Thread