xml-dev - Last Call issued on initial stylesheet linking draft

[Tim Bray <tbray@textuality.com>]

Posting this on behalf the Syntax WG; xml-dev is obviously
highly qualified to provide feedback.

Cover letter is from Syntax WG co-chair Joel Nava
===================================================================

The XML Syntax Working Group of the W3C is issuing a "Last Call" 
for comments on the specification "Associating stylesheets with 
XML documents - version 1.0"

      http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-xml-stylesheet

Please review the document and send any comments you have
to jjc@jclark.com, tbray@textuality.com, jnava@adobe.com.

Comments are due by Friday Nov. 20th.

To save bandwidth, I am including some rationale for the
specific syntax we are using in this specification.

As you will notice, the Working Group has chosen to use a special 
processing instruction, or PI, to link an XML document to stylesheets. 
Some wonder whether an element or attribute based solution somewhere 
along the lines of XLink or the XML Namespace mechanism would be more
appropriate.

The reasons for our choice are 3-fold:

First, for the most part the working group feels that this syntax 
is the best for the problem. Many argue that this is the proper use 
for a PI, because it keeps this information out of the document tree.

Second, timing is an issue. The mechanism that we have produced 
is very similar to the HTML link element, and was agreed upon 
many months prior to the formation of this WG. The XML Style 
Sheet Linking Specification was a partially completed work item 
from the old XML WG. In the intervening time between the end of 
that group and the beginning of this group the time to make an 
impact on the next release from the browser vendors was slipping 
away.  We have tried to move quickly to complete this specification
in order to have an impact on what gets implemented. Both Microsoft 
and Netscape have agreed on this syntax, and as far as we can guess 
will be shipping products based on it in the near future.

The third part of this is the fact that time and resources have
already been put aside to produce a Version 2 of this specification.
"Associating stylesheets with XML documents - version 2.0" will add
other mechanisms for linking style to XML document; see
 
    http://www.w3.org/XML/Activity.html#future

--
Joel A. Nava                  (408)536-6209
Adobe Systems, Inc.         jnava@adobe.com


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