[
Lists Home |
Date Index |
Thread Index
]
Bullard, Claude L (Len) wrote:
> Some years ago during the IADS work, our chief designer said that
> any language (at that time, SGML) that enabled mixed content
> should be eliminated from the universe. Instead, the follow
> on, XML, thrived and won. While I understand the parser-centric
> data model position, history is not on the side of eliminating
> mixed models.
There is no such thing as a mixed model. This is a notational issue.
<p>This is an <i>example</i> paragraph.</p>
actually represents a node structure like this:
{element p}
{text}This is an {/text}
{element i}
{text}example{/text}
{/element i}
{text} paragraph.{/text}
{/element p}
That is the model; the former is a notational convenience. SGML is rife
with notational shorthand designed to make documents more pleasing to
human writers. XML eliminated some of it. The human interface oriented
features it didn't eliminate - mixed notation, general entities, default
attributes - remain to annoy us and periodically reignite permathreads.
XML would be improved if it had two dialects: the current cuddly
language and a stripped down, possibly more verbose subset that did
nothing but convey a structured node sequence as text.
That's the permathread this and most others here boil down to.
Bob Foster
> The mixed data model is very common and impossible to
> eliminate unless the designer owns all ends of the pipes.
> This isn't likely given a web distribution. Even
> in intranets, we see this a lot. It comes down to
> where in the pipeline the detection of mixed data models
> occurs.
>
> The problem of schema profiles will be that the profiles
> have to be named. A lot of process rot ensues.
>
> len
>
>
> From: Ed Day [mailto:eday@obj-sys.com]
>
> I suppose this is case of "document-centric" vs "data-centric" application
> thinking (I am in the latter camp). It would seem this might be a good
> place to start when breaking down schema profiles.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> The xml-dev list is sponsored by XML.org <http://www.xml.org>, an
> initiative of OASIS <http://www.oasis-open.org>
>
> The list archives are at http://lists.xml.org/archives/xml-dev/
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe from this list use the subscription
> manager: <http://www.oasis-open.org/mlmanage/index.php>
>
>
>
|
