Re: [xml-dev] Non-infoset

[Amelia A Lewis <amyzing@talsever.com>]

On 2005-04-10 15:25:51 -0400 Alessandro Triglia <sandro@mclink.it> 
wrote:
> The non-infoset includes such things as:
> 
> - the use of general entities;

Quite significant, given that there's no replacement for this 
(particularly inside attribute content).

> - the nature and amount of whitespace inside tags;

What?

<p>This sentence contains <em>emphasized</em> text.</p>

Has important characteristics in the whitespace.

Can fast infoset do mixed content?

> - the inclusion of a DTD;

Of a piece with the lack of support for entities.

> .. and other things, including those listed in Appendix D of the 
> Infoset 
> recommendation.

Comments?  Processing instructions?

> However, I would like to ask the following question.  How many 
> **producers** 
> of XML documents really care about the non-infoset part of the XML 
> document 
> that they are **producing**?

Sufficiently many that DTD won't die, since it's the only way to 
define and use general entities.

> Or equivalently:  How many **producers** of XML would be happy to 
> live in a 
> world in which the non-infoset part was put outside their control? 

A subset of the ones I know of; all entirely data-oriented.  Even 
those tend to be frustrated by the lack of a replacement for the 
general entity mechanism (although xinclude can solve some of those 
problems, albeit sometimes with redefinition of schemas).

> How many producers need the ability 
> to use general entities?  How many producers need the ability to 
> include a 
> DTD in the XML they are creating?

It continually surprises me how many people think that the entity 
mechanism can be dispensed with, given that there is no replacement 
for it, and a substantial number of customers (not particular jobs, 
but customers overall) need it.

> If the answer to these questions was that not many XML producers 
> really care 
> about the non-infoset, one could conclude that the XML infoset **is** 
> important, more so than some believe, whether or not people actually 
> use the 
> term "infoset" in their work.

And if it's that many *do* care about whitespace, and entities, and 
DTDs?  Or PIs and comments?

Amy!
-- 
Amelia A. Lewis                    amyzing {at} talsever.com
Money can't buy happiness, but poverty can't buy *anything*.