Re: [xml-dev] Wikipedia on XML

[Alexander Johannesen <alexander.johannesen@gmail.com>]

On Tue, Aug 25, 2009 at 10:00, Tim Bray<Tim.Bray@sun.com> wrote:
> Agreed, and I'd go further; I'd totally eliminate <!DOCTYPE>.

Blasphemy!

> Frankly, I
> have no interest in an instance's opinion about which schemas it thinks are
> relevant.  The nice thing about XML is I, the receiver, decide how best to
> validate or otherwise process.

That may well apply to you, but I'm not convinced applying the same
logic to the generic XML user out there is a wise choice. You, the
receiver, usually means him, the browser, or her, the application.
There's a difference between Tim the receiver and the systems on your
computer as receivers.

Eliminating DOCTYPE could (and possibly should) be done, but why not
keep it (breaking the intertubes is bad practice, no?), add a few
other persistant identifiers as well (document type hinting as URN?
Why not?), and make them *all* optional and suggestive rather than
declarative? Nothing would change except increased flexibility and the
good feeling of admitting fault and repentance before the healing
process begins.


Alex
-- 
 Project Wrangler, SOA, Information Alchemist, UX, RESTafarian, Topic Maps
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