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Re: "XML Schema specifies just syntax" versus "XMLSchema speci

• From: Liam R E Quin <liam@w3.org>
• To: "Costello, Roger L." <costello@mitre.org>
• Date: Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:24:50 -0500

On Wed, 2011-11-09 at 19:09 +0000, Costello, Roger L. wrote:
> Hi Folks,
> 
> Sally says, "XML Schema specifies just syntax."
> 
> John says, "XML Schema specifies semantics."
> 
> Who is correct?

Neither.

XML Schema Documents can define a grammar for a language that
applications (including people) can imbue with meaning.

The same is true for other syntaxes, such as RDF/Turtle, RDF/N3,
RDF/XML.  The existence of the last of these is a proof that, if RDF can
convey semantics, and if an RDF graph, once transmitted over RDF/XML,
and reconstituted, still has the same semantics, RDF/XML can contain
semantics, and therefore XML can contain semantics (and so can ASCII,
and so can ethernet electrical signals...).

Liam

-- 
Liam Quin - XML Activity Lead, W3C, http://www.w3.org/People/Quin/

• Follow-Ups:
  • RE: "XML Schema specifies just syntax" versus "XML Schema specifies semantics"
    • From: Norm Birkett <Norm.Birkett@reval.com>
  • Re: "XML Schema specifies just syntax" versus "XML Schemaspecifies semantics"
    • From: Olivier Rossel <olivier.rossel@gmail.com>

• References:
  • "XML Schema specifies just syntax" versus "XML Schema specifiessemantics"
    • From: "Costello, Roger L." <costello@mitre.org>