xml-dev - Re: What is HyTime?

[Paul Prescod <papresco@technologist.com>]

David Megginson wrote:
> 
>  > Would you tell me what is hytime?
> 
> Start at the following URL:
> 
>   http://www.hytime.org/

That might scare him off!

HyTime is an international standard that contains many extensions to the
basic structures in SGML and XML. Consider: there are an infinite number
of ways to express the concept of "hyperlink" or "address" or
"use-by-reference" in SGML and XML. HyTime represents a standards-based
way to express all of these concepts (and many, many more). Many people
are afraid of HyTime because it is very large, (which is the case because
there are many of these types of reusable concepts) In my opinion,
however, the cost of reinventing these things is higher than the cost of
figuring out how to use HyTime. (and being standards-based has various
benefits...)

The trick is recoginzing when you have a problem that HyTime can help to
solve, without reading all of HyTime in advance. A partial solution to the
problem is to poke around the "HyTime users guide" at the URL David
mentioned. Another partial solution is to ask questions in XML-DEV and
hope that a HyTime expert will speak up and point you to a section that
applies.

 Paul Prescod  - http://itrc.uwaterloo.ca/~papresco

"You have the wrong number."
"Eh? Isn't that the Odeon?"
"No, this is the Great Theater of Life. Admission is free, but the 
taxation is mortal. You come when you can, and leave when you must. The 
show is continuous. Good-night." -- Robertson Davies, "The Cunning Man"

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