[
Lists Home |
Date Index |
Thread Index
]
Hi all,
I'm pretty new to XML and have only been reading this list a few days, so
please forgive me if this seems like a really stupid question...
I am investigating XML as a data-transport solution for what are, in
essence, "sparse" databases. One of my requirements is that the mechanism
used must be able to stand alone -- i.e. I have to be able to deliver an
ISO9660 CD and the XML on it would have to be complete in the absence of an
internet connection. Often our data will be accessed over an intranet or
the internet, but we also must maintain the capability to operate in the
absence of both.
From what I've seen so far DTD would work perfectly, but I get the feeling
after reading this list and other sources that DTD is "on the skids" and
likely to become obsolete and that Schema is generally considered the future
-- if that is not correct, please let me know as I can quite happily
implement this in DTD!
I've been reading up on schemas and every example I've seen so far starts by
referencing the schema namespace at w3c.org (i.e. <xs:schema
xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema";>). Is this required for schemas
to operate? If so, it seems to conflict with my requirement that the data
be complete and usable even without access to the internet. (It also seems
that a lot of developers must be really sticking their necks out on
something that they have absolutely no control over, i.e. that W3C won't
change or move the namespace definition. I used to do risk analysis for DOD
software development and this scenario would have had us passing out by the
numbers.)
Does the schema syntax stand alone in the absence of the xs namespace
reference? I.e. would it be possible (and reasonable) to define my own
namespace (something like <myschema:schema
xmlns:myschema="my_local_file_reference">) and to NOT reference the xs
namespace at all?
Can you describe, in a nutshell, the perceived advantage that Schema has
over DTD?
Finally, if you could own only one reference on XML, suitable for
experienced software developers who are new to XML, what would it be?
Thanks,
John Atchley
Senior Software Analyst
Engineering and Design, Courseware Support
FlightSafety International, Inc.
mailto:John.Atchley@FlightSafety.com
|
