xml-dev - Re: Why the Infoset?

["Simon St.Laurent" <simonstl@simonstl.com>]

John Cowan wrote:
>> There needs to be N infosets (N > 1) to cover
>> the range of application types people build with
>> XML.
>
>We used to have that explicitly, with a "minimal infoset", a "maximal
>infoset" and every possible infoset in between.  It was a mess to
>describe.  Now we have:
>
>	1) one standard infoset
>	2) conformance means documentation of what you provide and what you don't
>	3) any app can add its own info items and properties
>		(right down to the a level if you want)
>	4) the "core conformance" infoset is one possible subset

We have an infoset that only standardizes one level.  "Any app can add its
own items and properties" is great - but it's not a standard.  We can do
the same thing and talk about it completely differently.

If it ain't standardized, don't offer it as an option in a standards
discussion.

If the Infoset isn't willing to walk that road, don't talk about it as
something that gets the Infoset out of the complaints being made.

Simon St.Laurent
XML Elements of Style / XML: A Primer, 2nd Ed.
http://www.simonstl.com - XML essays and books