xml-dev - Announcement of publication of W3C XML Packaging info

[Paul Grosso <pgrosso@arbortext.com>]

W3C XML Packaging Background Information

2000 July 26

Introduction

From time to time, there are mentions of "XML packaging" in 
various public fora. The W3C XML Activity has some bit of 
history in this area, but it does not have the resources 
to address XML packaging at the present time. Therefore, 
the W3C XML Coordination Group (CG) [1] has decided to 
publish the existing background information in the hopes 
that it may be of some use to any public efforts to address 
these issues.

Status of Packaging in the XML Activity

Phase III of the W3C XML Activity [2] was started in 1999 
September. In the Activity definition, an XML Packaging WG 
was chartered but given an indefinite starting date (supposedly 
to be after the XML Core WG had completed its work).  At the 
W3C XML Plenary f2f on 1999 September 29, it was decided to 
start an XML Packaging Task Force to do some informal 
investigation of the issues and provide input for any 
subsequent working group.

W3C discussions to date

Associated with XML'99, on 1999 December 07 there was the 
only meeting of the XML Packaging Task Force in Philadelphia. 
The minutes document [3] lists some background material, states 
the general agenda of this meeting, and records both a list 
of potential user scenarios as well as records some discussion.

At the W3C XML Plenary f2f on 2000 February 2, there was a 
40 minute discussion on XML Packaging. Those present at that 
meeting preferred to give top priority to use case 4 (as 
described in the minutes of the December meeting [3]), to wit:

    A "manifest" containing pointers to an XML document, external
    entities, DTD/Schema, stylesheet, java scripts, etc.

(It was thought that this might also address use case 1.)

The background documents referenced by the Task Force meeting 
minutes [3] include:

* A Report on XML Packaging (W3C Note 2 Aug 1999) by Joel Nava [4]

* XML Packaging Working Group Charter [5]

* Tim Bray's packaging motivation paper [6]

Current situation

At the present time, there is no specific schedule for the (not 
as yet constituted) W3C XML Packaging WG.

The XML CG has decided to make all the above W3C packaging-related 
material public at this time with the invitation that any group 
feel free to use it in the development of any proposed solution 
to any part of the set of "packaging issues." The W3C is hosting 
a publicly archived [7] mailing list [8] for the purposes of public 
discussion of XML Packaging, and all those interested are urged 
to join [9] the www-xml-packaging@w3.org mailing list (send email 
to www-xml-packaging-request@w3.org with a subject of "subscribe") 
to discuss the issues.

Paul Grosso for the W3C XML CG

(See also [0] for a hypertext version of this message/document.)

[0]
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-xml-packaging/2000Jul/att-0001/01-pk
g-note.htm
[1] http://www.w3.org/XML/Activity#xml-cg
[2] http://www.w3.org/XML/Activity
[3] http://www.w3.org/XML/2000/07/xpkg-19991207-min
[4] http://www.w3.org/1999/07/xml-pkg234/Overview
[5] http://www.w3.org/XML/2000/07/xml-packaging-charter
[6] http://www.textuality.com/xml/why-pkg.html
[7] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-xml-packaging/
[8] mailto:www-xml-packaging@w3.org
[9] mailto:www-xml-packaging-request@w3.org?subject=subscribe