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On Thu, Jan 06, 2005 at 10:29:06AM -0600, Bullard, Claude L (Len) wrote: > The XBRC folks have thoughts on this. > > http://www.w3.org/2003/09/xmlap/xml-binary-wg-charter.html As I've said in public on a number of occasions, we can't stop people from using a binary representation to transmit XML. They're already doing it. There are dozens (hundreds?) of systems and formats out there today. The W3C XML Binary Characterization Working Group has the unenviable task of helping W3C decide whether we should be in the business of specifying some sort of efficient way to interchange XML that's different from gzip that HTTP can already use. In other words, is it better to have one open and well-documented freely-implementable textual format and lots of incompatible binary formats (as today), or to have one textual and also one binary format, both open, well-documenetd and freely-implementable, with a number of secondary binary formats still in use here and there? Getting the major players round the same table means that we can get significant commitments to move to a W3C-blessed format if it comes close enough to requirements, and also helps us with the IPR side of things (if the major patent holders participate). We don't yet have a clear answer to the question, "is there likely to be a single format or framework that will come close to meeting enough people's needs?" and without that it's hard to compare costs and benefits. Liam PS: Sometimes I think the main difficulty the W3C XML Binary Characterization Working Group has is in living down such a long Working Group name, but that's another story :-) -- Liam Quin, W3C XML Activity Lead, http://www.w3.org/People/Quin/ http://www.holoweb.net/~liam/
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