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Re: hypermedia affordances

• From: John Cowan <cowan@mercury.ccil.org>
• To: Len Bullard <Len.Bullard@ses-i.com>
• Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2012 16:08:03 -0400

Len Bullard scripsit:

> That is usually the problem of a one size fits all, but because I am
> not involved with HTML5 nor do I understand its raison d'etre, I defer
> to those who are and do.  Noodling is the royal road to innovation
> but with Google and Apple slugging it out in court, I am unsure of
> what will become of HTML5.

HTML5 is two things at the same time.  On the one hand, it adds new
features to HTML 4, some of them already implemented in major browsers,
some not.  This is evolutionary.  On the other hand, it specifies in
painstaking detail, to the level of actual software (but written in highly
technical English, like a verbalized flowchart), exactly how to go from any
sequence of Unicode characters to the exact DOM that a conformant browser
will (and most browsers already do) create when handed that sequence.
This is revolutionary: the implementation is now driving the spec.

> XML doesn't need hypermedia affordances to succeed in the tasks for
> which it was specified.  Does JSON?  Now that is quite a different
> argument from there being a useful set of hypermedia affordances that
> become the norm for all hypermedia applications on the web including
> those using XML or MicroXML.  I would understand John's reluctance
> to include them because he and James have envisioned different goals.
> Selah.

I'm refusing (not merely reluctant) to include them because I have
specified MicroXML namespaces to be the same, not merely in general
but in particular, as XML namespaces.  The XML Core WG owns the xml:
namespace and I don't, and they have already refused (with my hearty
agreement) to add xml:ref and friends to that namespace.  Q.E.D.

> Remember what orcs are made of.  Their souls aren't happy about it.

Tolkien was never quite consistent about this.  How is it that the
children of orcs are still orcs?

-- 
I now introduce Professor Smullyan,             John Cowan
who will prove to you that either               cowan@ccil.org
he doesn't exist or you don't exist,            http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
but you won't know which.                               --Melvin Fitting

• Follow-Ups:
  • RE: hypermedia affordances
    • From: "Len Bullard" <Len.Bullard@ses-i.com>

• References:
  • Re: "Introducing MicroXML, Part 1: Explore the basic principles of ...
    • From: BillClare3@aol.com
  • Re: "Introducing MicroXML, Part 1: Explore the basic principlesof ...
    • From: Michael Kay <mike@saxonica.com>
  • RE: "Introducing MicroXML, Part 1: Explore the basicprinciples of ...
    • From: David Lee <dlee@calldei.com>
  • RE: "Introducing MicroXML, Part 1: Explore the basic principles of ...
    • From: "Len Bullard" <Len.Bullard@ses-i.com>
  • Re: "Introducing MicroXML, Part 1: Explore the basic principlesof ...
    • From: Mike Sokolov <sokolov@ifactory.com>
  • Re: hypermedia affordances
    • From: John Cowan <cowan@mercury.ccil.org>
  • RE: hypermedia affordances
    • From: "Len Bullard" <Len.Bullard@ses-i.com>
  • RE: hypermedia affordances
    • From: "Rushforth, Peter" <Peter.Rushforth@NRCan-RNCan.gc.ca>
  • RE: hypermedia affordances
    • From: "Len Bullard" <Len.Bullard@ses-i.com>