xml-dev - Re: What XHTML should do with namespaces

["Shane P. McCarron" <shane@aptest.com>]

Rick proposes an interesting model. This model is largely already
supported in XHTML Modularization. XHTML Modularization provides a
toolkit for developing markup languages from modules. These modules are
defined abstractly, and then mapped onto an implementation (an XML DTD,
but an XML Schema is also possible). These modules can be collected
together to form arbitrary XHTML-family markup languages. Users can also
develop new modules with their own elements and attributes, extend the
content models of XHTML-provided modules, etc.

These are defined in Building XHTML Modules, Modularization of XHTML,
and XHTML 1.1. These public documents are available at
http://www.w3.org/TR

The working group never intended XHTML 1.0 to be extensible. It is a
bridge.  It is there to help HTML document authors make the transition
to XML in a way that is backward compatible with existing browsers. 
Nothing more.  Don't read too much into it.  It will drive you crazy.

With regard to namespaces, IMO the work on Modularization is orthogonal
to namespaces. It is not the intent of the working group to define
multiple namespaces within the modularization infrastructure. You could,
I supposed, use modularization to define a collection of namespaces that
represent different collections of functionality. These namespaces could
then be cobbled together in compound documents. However, the resulting
documents would not be validatable.

Regardless, the modularization architecture of XHTML is designed to
address the goal of extensibility on a massive scale.  It can be mapped
into XML Schema or XML DTDs. It can rely upon XML namespaces or not.  I
suggest you all check these documents out before worrying about the
extensibility of XHTML.


--
Shane P. McCarron                  phone: +1 612 434-4431
ApTest                               fax: +1 612 434-4318
                                  mobile: +1 612 799-6942
                                  e-mail: shane@aptest.com

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