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RE: Partyin' like it's 1999

• To: "Liam Quin" <liam@w...>,"Dare Obasanjo" <dareo@m...>
• Subject: RE: Partyin' like it's 1999
• From: "Derek Denny-Brown" <derekdb@m...>
• Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 11:16:19 -0700
• Cc: <xml-dev@l...>
• Thread-index: AcS8PdF1Cb8/r106RnKDaym25E5kAwADrZsg
• Thread-topic: Partyin' like it's 1999

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Liam Quin [mailto:liam@w...]
> 
> On Wed, Oct 27, 2004 at 07:19:09AM -0700, Dare Obasanjo wrote:
> [...]
> > 1.) XML's treatment of whitespace confuses developers. As Derek
says,
> > Microsoft tried to make the behavior more intuitive which has made
> > MSXML vilified by XML pendants [...]
> 
> If the spec is confusing, the right approach is not to implement it
> differently and incompatibly. The right approach is to help get the
> spec clarified, or to provide tools and documentation to help your
> users.

This is exactly what we did.  DOM is that tool.  You might argue that
the default is non-conformant, but that is remedied with a single line
of code.

> > 2.) The limitation in the range of allowed characters in XML is a
> > hassle which the Microsoft XML team sees customers complain about on
a
> > weekly basis.
> 
> W3C heard that too.
> 
> XML 1.1 increases the range, and Microsoft was well represented in
> the XML Core Working Group that produced it.  From what you are
> saying I'd expect rapid deployment of XML 1.1 from Microsoft, yes?

Ideally, as rapid as a behemoth the side of Microsoft can deploy it.
When you ship many different products, which all import and/or export
XML, it is important to release support in such a way that it doesn't
encourage incompatibility.  Integration of new standard within a network
of legacy support is just hard.

Personally, if I could ignore existing customers, I'd push XML 1.1 and
Relax-NG everywhere, and replace XML-DOM.  Realistically, I am neither
able to ignore existing customers, nor am I in a position to make such a
call.  

-derek

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  • Re: Partyin' like it's 1999
    • From: David Carlisle <davidc@n...>

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