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It is realistic, Ann. Some developers are
using specs and standards, others are developing their
own codes for the requirements they have at
hand. Some wouldn't use XML at all except
Microsoft made the decision for them and the
libraries make that the path of least
resistance. SVG would likely be a "nice but
maybe later" had Adobe not implemented it.
Some see the sense of SVG but don't comply.
I watched a demo recently in which
the developer wasn't concerned that he could
not put arbitrary tags in and call it SVG.
No namespaces; just new tags because he
was implementing his own player. I asked
if he considered that the right thing to do;
he said, "It's XML isn't it? I thought
extensibility was it's reason to be."
I don't think he means to abuse the
standard; he thinks he is using one.
Some would rather use delimited ASCII
and possibly should. Others see a spec'd
tag set and use it but with limited recognition
of the implied semantics or even paying attention
to the outer wrappers. They stitch together
what appears to them to be the "right" thing.
XDocs won't thrive on XForms compliance. It
will thrive if it is a good solution within
the context of the Microsoft platform. If
y'all want to cite Metcalfe and count nodes,
etc., count the number of installations of
that platform on commercial desktops and then
figure out who is paying attention. Developers
are. It might be a good design. Maybe it
should become a standard. We'll have to wait
and see. Jean Paoli's name is on the XML
spec; do you think he does not understand
the value of standards?
But so many of you will wilt in the sun before
you will concede that MS can do this as well
as you can, I would not blame them for saying,
"we won't bother; we'll just sell running code".
I look at the HTC design and say, "Dang, that
works. What is the problem?" And the
only conclusion I can come to is, "NIH".
Where is the sense in that, Ann?
Still, XML enables all of that. It is not right
or wrong. It is individual choice. Anyone
who didn't see it coming wasn't paying attention.
Standards and specs have roles to play, but they
must win and earn the right to keep them
.... just like the rest of the running code.
len
-----Original Message-----
From: Ann Navarro [mailto:ann@webgeek.com]
At 12:27 PM 10/16/2002 -0500, Bullard, Claude L (Len) wrote:
>You may be creating standards. Standards creation
>is always a *hopeful* activity. Others are
>simply coming up with a tag set for their
>software, maybe a few others, to consume.
I think that's a little pessimistic.
I won't argue that this doesn't occur, but I would argue that just as often
there are developers that truly want to do the 'right thing' by standards.
As a consultant, it's a question I get often -- How can we be compliant
(and still do what we need to do)?
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