Re: [xml-dev] Ten Years Later - XML 1.0 Fifth Edition?

[Elliotte Rusty Harold <elharo@metalab.unc.edu>]

noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com wrote:

> I'm not specifically suggesting "don't change", though there certainly are 
> good points to be made in favor of leaving things stable, as there are 
> good points in favor of allowing the new tag names.  What I am saying is: 
> when you change, make sure you have clearly distinct labels for the old 
> and the new versions.  Try to avoid labels that are confusingly similar. 
> That way, when people want the old stuff can ask for it and know they're 
> getting it, and people who want the new stuff can ask for that.  I have no 
> problem with also having some encompassing label that's for "I don't care, 
> give me the latest."
> 

Agreed 100%. A properly labeled new version of XML is not a problem. A 
stealth update is a huge problem.

There's also a place for consumers who can handle both, to say "I don't 
care. Give me whatever you have" but in that case the consumer is likely 
to want to know which they're getting.

--
Elliotte