RE: ASN.1 and XML

["Al B. Snell" <alaric@alaric-snell.com>]

On Thu, 24 May 2001, Bullard, Claude L (Len) wrote:

> >ISO 8879 is SGML, which despite
> >being far more complex is but a pale shadow of XML+schemas; it was never
> >intended as a notation for data interchange, just documents...
> 
> MIL-D-87269.  FOSI.  Just two.  Yes, people did do data exchange with SGML. 
> We didn't do networking with it.  No one wanted that then.  That 
> was left-wing lunatic fringe stuff.  What is a document?  The stuff 
> between the tags?

But XML *isn't* that. It's learnt from it and stuff, but it's starting
again from scratch. If it's not so different at all then the fact that
it's taking off now and didn't then is a statement on the growing
role of networking - *and* the Semantic Web Hype Issue :-)

> papers on doing hypertext with SGML.  Durand?  Well, he 
> taught us all about object-oriented 'pixie dust'. 

?!?!?! Thought the 60s were over at that stage. Oh well, some people never
leave it ;-)

SGML people migrating to XML people is something that I'd be surprised to
find not happening. But that doesn't mean that "XML's been around as long
as ASN.1". Some of the stuff done with SGML will be applicable and useful,
yes, but we're still sitting here arguing about schemas and namespace URIs
and basic stuff, rather than using SGML schemas and SGLink ang SGSLT
(although you could call DSSSL that :-) and arguing about minor
enhancements to the standard vocabularies used for buying dog shampoo, or
even not arguing at all because we're out doing real work :-)

> BTW:  ASN.1 as a competitor to SGML was discussed years ago.
> We were doing document systems then and it seemed just too 
> darned obscure for that kind of grunt work.  Style counts.

Aye... that would be before the days of textual encodings, I'll bet :-)

> Len

ABS

-- 
                               Alaric B. Snell
 http://www.alaric-snell.com/  http://RFC.net/  http://www.warhead.org.uk/
   Any sufficiently advanced technology can be emulated in software