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

[Gavin Thomas Nicol <gtn@ebt.com>]

It's probably useful to also have a look at the earlier
MIME/SGML work done in the IETF. 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Grosso [mailto:pgrosso@arbortext.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2000 1:26 PM
> To: xml-dev@xml.org
> Subject: Announcement of publication of W3C XML Packaging info
> 
> 
> 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