Re: [xml-dev] Global or shared namespace?

["Jeff Rafter" <jeffrafter@defined.net>]

> I don't see what harm this would do. In practice, it is what happens
> anyway. For example, if an element/attribute name is not in a namespace,
> DOM level 2 uses a null for the URI and SAX 2 uses an empty string.

This is true-- it seems to be causing problems as well-- on the xerces-j-dev
and sax-devel lists there is currently a discussion of this very issue (may
as well have it on three lists at once right?). To quote David Brownell:

>>

The SAX2 spec does indeed conform to the Namespace spec, rather than
to the (new) Infoset spec or (less new) DOM L2 spec.  The namespace folk
were pretty adamant that "xmlns" isn't a namespace at all.  I went around
with them on that issue more than once.  Though I can't say I'm glad to see
the W3C change its mind on that issue well _after_ the Namespace REC
was finalized!  (*)

(*) The first of the three DOM L2 Candidate Recommendations,
    dated 10-Dec-1999, conformed to the 14-Jan-1999 Namespace
    REC ... but the second of three (!) DOM L2 CRs, 7-Mar-2000,
    changed this.  SAX2 finalized two months after that, DOM L2
    in November 2000, and Infoset just a few months ago.  Just to
    track the publicly visible milestones of this change.

<<

I wouldn't say that this is a troll at all. This is a clearly a case of the
incompatibilities everyone has been talking about around here. I am not sure
if Eric's solution is the "right" one-- but I definitely feel that the
current state of things is "wrong". DOM2 seems to be the odd man out (in
that it does not conform to the NS rec).

All the best,
Jeff Rafter
Defined Systems
http://www.defined.net
XML Development and Developer Web Hosting