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Re: [xml-dev] "XML is just syntax" versus "Use semantic markup" (Is this a paradox?)

I don't think XML Schema gives meaning. Or is it some other form of Schema.

Cheers,
Bryan Rasmussen

On Sun, Mar 9, 2008 at 6:37 PM, Mukul Gandhi <gandhi.mukul@gmail.com> wrote:
> I think, it would be useful to think about this subject looking at the
>  concept of Schema.
>
>  Schema gives meaning to the markup (or we could say, in this case
>  markup becomes "semantic markup").
>
>  In the absence of the Schema, markup is meaningless. Then, it is just
>  a syntax obeying XML well formedness constraints.
>
>  To me, all this is quite useful to represent information ...
>
>
>
>  On Sun, Mar 9, 2008 at 6:19 PM, Costello, Roger L. <costello@mitre.org> wrote:
>  > Hi Folks,
>  >
>  > I have often heard it said: "XML is just syntax."
>  >
>  > I have equally often heard it said: "Use semantic markup."
>  >
>  > How can XML be "just syntax" and also be "semantic markup"?
>  >
>  > Is this a paradox?
>  >
>  > Let me take a go at resolving this seeming paradox:
>  >
>  > 1. Tags are indeed just syntax.  They provide a mechanism for
>  > structuring the data.
>  >
>  > 2. Tags are created by a specification, which define what each tag
>  > means.  When constructing an XML document, there may be a choice of
>  > tags, say <ABC> and <XYZ>, which may be used to wrap a particular datum
>  > (item of data).  Suppose the specification gave tag <ABC> a general
>  > meaning and tag <XYZ> a specific meaning. Compare:
>  >
>  >    <ABC>datum</ABC>
>  >
>  > versus
>  >
>  >    <XYZ>datum</XYZ>
>  >
>  > We say that the later is using "semantic markup."  This means: those
>  > applications which have been implemented to understand the tag-set will
>  > gain more information about 'datum' from the <XYZ> tag than from the
>  > <ABC> tag.
>  >
>  > Let me repeat the last sentence:
>  >
>  > "... will gain more information about 'datum' from the <XYZ> tag than
>  > the <ABC> tag."
>  >
>  > Hmm, sounds to me like the tags are providing more than just syntax.
>  > The tags are providing information/meaning/semantics about 'datum'.
>  >
>  > This paradox is unresolved in my mind.
>  >
>  > Care to take a go at resolving this paradox?
>  >
>  > /Roger
>
>
>
>  --
>  Regards,
>  Mukul Gandhi
>
>
>
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