Re: [xml-dev] Is Web 2.0 the new XML?

[Robin Berjon <robin.berjon@expway.fr>]

Michael Kay wrote:
> This is a good analysis of the problems in the schema spec, but it doesn't
> answer my real question: how does one prevent standards committees from
> behaving in this manner?
> 
> In my experience, everyone on the group might understand the dangers of
> Version One Syndrome, but they still won't drop their individual insistence
> on the features that they think are core to the requirement.

Fair enough, but awareness is the first step. Where XML Schema fits in 
is that people who have to use it (or worse, implement it) have 
oftentimes suffered so much in the process that they are willing to give 
up features and the such. I can't count how many times someone on the 
XBC WG said "please, you're pulling an XML Schema on us with that 
property" or something along those lines (and most of those times 
weren't me ;).

There may be small recipes that could work too. For instance, if you 
have Version One Syndrome, make sure you don't have the Space Odyssey 
syndrome so that later on people can cut out features by only supporting 
some of the sub-specs. It also helps to do the requirements right 
instead of rushing them as too many WGs do. Time only will tell but if 
there is a WG for Efficient XML Interchange, I think that the XBC 
experience will be very useful.

In my experience you don't need the whole group to be the "right 
people", it suffices that there are three/four active participants 
equiped with big mouths and an understanding of how things could go 
wrong to prevent some of those problems. Most WGs I know have those, but 
they're not necessarily aware of the pitfalls of standardisation. Hence, 
since there's no cookbook on How To Succeed In Standards, my insistence 
on awareness.

-- 
Robin Berjon
   Senior Research Scientist
   Expway, http://expway.com/