Re: [xml-dev] My report on experiments with unused namespaces

[Michael Kay <mike@saxonica.com>]

  Amelia asked:

<a:b xmlns:a="b" xmlns:new="xyzzy"> <a:c result="nothing 
happens">new:speak</a:c> </a:b>

Question: is the declaration "xmlns:new" used or unused in this 
document? Amy!


I actually came across one usage of XML in which the namespace 
declaration in

<a xmlns:v="http://www.x.com/"/>

was considered significant. They were using it, rather as some people 
use processing instructions or comments, as a device for adding 
information to an XML document (in this case, a kind of version 
attribute) without having to modify the schema.

Michael Kay
Saxonica