xml-dev - Re: Feeler for SML (Simple Markup Language)

[Len Bullard <cbullard@hiwaay.net>]

David Megginson wrote:
> 
> Vane Lashua <vlashua@RSGsystems.com> writes:
> 
> > That's what a dtd is for!
> > It's the contract!
> 
> A DTD is a contract for structure, not for features.  

And names.  Don't forget the names.  But Vane has the right idea 
as long as he remembers a lot of the contract was in the comments. 

Now, give us schemas so we can make the bloody contracts a bit 
more negotiable and a little less time sensitive. It is an 
interesting thought experiment.  Construct a generic schema, 
then see if multiple (ahh... two) business processes can negotiate a 
schema by which other processes will exchange objects, messages, 
etc.  Start with a seed schema so the DOM has something to 
munch on, and come up with the simplest system of seed 
messages to start the negotiation.  The negotiating processes 
can build any number of intermediate versions as long as 
they don't need human intervention.  Fine contest or thread 
for folks bored about external entities.  Wow those venture 
capitalists and scare some CEOs right out of their options.

> Battle-scarred
> SGML veterans will remember the SGML declaration, which was the
> contract for what features need to be supported by both ends ("I
> promise not to use names longer than 8 characters", etc.).  The SGML
> declaration was first against the wall when the XML revolution came.

Ain't it the truth! well... there is one there but it has been *fixed*. 
I am not complaining because explaining it was usually pretty 
tough, but there were some fun things you could do like limit
recursions.

The Cowardly Lion



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