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

RE: <DOCTYPE> definition in XML docs

• To: "'john Mani'" <john@s...>, xml-dev@l...
• Subject: RE: <DOCTYPE> definition in XML docs
• From: "DuCharme, Bob (LNG-CHO)" <bob.ducharme@l...>
• Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 15:32:27 -0500

>The customer's XML processor demands that the XML documents
>we send have a <DOCTYPE .. > declaration

They want you to send them valid XML--not an unreasonable demand. 

>that points to a URL hosted by us.

Telling you what to host on your server is asking a bit more, especially if
they own the DTD, which sounds like the case. 

>what's a design pattern in such situations ?

The real answer brings new meaning to the term "content negotiation": in a
regular exchange of goods or services, when one side wants the other to do
one aspect of the exchange differently, the other has to weigh the
comparative cost of doing it differently with the value of retaining that
customer's business. A typical compromise is that, in exchange for changing
to meet the customer's need, the customer has to provide some recompense,
either by doing something else on their end to make the supplier's job
easier or by agreeing to an adjustment in the fees exchanged for the
service. (i.e. "We can do it your way, but it'll cost you more!") Like I
said, it's a matter of negotiation. 

(If it's any consolation, think about how, seven years ago, lots of people
would have loved to have had problems like this.)

Bob DuCharme          www.snee.com/bob           <bob@  
snee.com>  "The elements be kind to thee, and make thy
spirits all of comfort!" Anthony and Cleopatra, III ii

• Prev by Date: RE: <DOCTYPE> definition in XML docs
• Next by Date: Re: The XSLT Solution for the General Graph Path Problem(Was:Re: Using XSLT and XPath for graph data structure processing?)
• Previous by thread: <DOCTYPE> definition in XML docs
• Next by thread: RE: <DOCTYPE> definition in XML docs
• Index(es):
  • Date
  • Thread