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- From: edwsm@us.ibm.com
- To: "Steven R. Newcomb" <srn@techno.com>
- Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1999 09:37:36 -0500
There's another school which holds that "syntax IS semantics".
A DTD for X.509 certificates allows me to express what parts of the
certificate I consider required, what parts of the certificate I consider
optional, as well as the legal forms of the parts themselves.
I can tell whether or not a certificate is valid, and also *why* (e.g. no
signature algorithm name was provided, the "not after" date was malformed).
I think that if I can answer "why" questions, I'm operating in the semantic
realm.
Meaning may only be conveyed (manifested?) in "running code or
human-readable prose", but the meaning is latent in the syntax, and
couldn't be conveyed if it wasn't already there.
Ed Smierciak
"Steven R. Newcomb" <srn@techno.com>@ic.ac.uk on 11/18/99 10:19:34 PM
Please respond to "Steven R. Newcomb" <srn@techno.com>
Sent by: owner-xml-dev@ic.ac.uk
To: tbray@textuality.com
cc: xml-dev@ic.ac.uk
Subject: Re: documenting schemas/DTDs
[Tim Bray:]
> DTD's and XML Schemas both are *just syntax*
> dammit, and syntax is not interesting. XML, at the end of the day, is
not
> interesting. Messages that convey meaning are interesting. Meaning is
> only conveyed by
>
> (a) running code, or
> (b) human-readable prose.
>
> To generate (a), you have to have (b) first.
>
> End of the story. -Tim
I too am moved to underline this sentiment. Hear! Hear! Hear!
-Steve
--
Steven R. Newcomb, President, TechnoTeacher, Inc.
srn@techno.com http://www.techno.com ftp.techno.com
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