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RE: InkML

• To: "'Simon St.Laurent'" <simonstl@s...>, "'xml-dev@l...'" <xml-dev@l...>
• Subject: RE: InkML
• From: "Bullard, Claude L (Len)" <clbullar@i...>
• Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2003 09:38:18 -0500

There is a granularity of identity issue there.  One does 
not typically extract one face from an indexed face set 
and use it elsewhere.  Maybe the same can be said for a 
line segment or a single coordinate.  One can argue as 
some will that meaningfulness is with the user and that 
the format should enhance that to the maximum degree 
possible.  On the other hand, coordinates, for example, 
are seldom atomic as meaningful units except to the 
renderer unless one is working in a geo system of 
map coordinates where coordinates are paired with 
meaningful names (think intersection of two 
highways).  So in isolation, the decision to use 
a number list makes sense.  When one considers 
reuse in a different semantic system, the case can 
be different.

How theoretical is this?  I don't know and maybe 
it varies case by case, but it still seems odd to 
me to have at least four XML languages with four 
different dialects for coordinates.

We may wish to look at different combinations of 
namespaces to see just how jangly the clash really 
is.  X3D and SVG are, IMO, obvious examples of 
an opportunity to work together.   CAD formats 
(computer aided design) are another but are a 
bit further into the future.

len


From: Simon St.Laurent [mailto:simonstl@s...]

If it's a wrapper format, fine.  Call it a wrapper format.  Don't sell
it as a new XML format.

This spec appears to be creating a whole new set of semi-random numbers
and letters, and calling it XML.

>Lists of numbers are common, BTW.  X3D has them too. 
>But when SVG and X3D finally do merge in a meaningful 
>fashion, it will be painful to work in namespaces where 
>each one has a different way to specify coordinates.

Even for people merely converting from one to another, never mind grand
unification, this creates huge problems.  SVG does get criticized on a
semi-regular basis for this.  Dunno about X3D, but it'd be a huge black
mark for me.  Maybe they don't care - "it's just a delivery format" -
but I spend too much time extracting information from delivery formats
to take that claim seriously.

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