Re: [xml-dev] The purpose of a namespace URI is ...

["G. Ken Holman" <gkholman@CraneSoftwrights.com>]

At 2012-11-30 12:35 +0000, Costello, Roger L. wrote:
>     A namespace URI conventionally identifies
>     the component, subsystem, or authority
>     responsible for defining the meaning of
>     an XML vocabulary.
>
>Do you agree?

A namespace URI only distinguishes one XML vocabulary from another in 
a single XML document.

I think it is a wise choice of URI that the user can learn more from 
it regarding the XML vocabulary, so if that is what you mean by 
"conventionally", then "yes" is my answer.  By "from it", I don't 
necessarily mean that the text of the URI itself helps, rather, that 
the URI can be used to find out more information regarding the 
vocabulary.  I suppose if the text of the URI included a name, then 
someone wouldn't have to de-reference it to know what they are dealing with.

Consider the difference between:

   xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg-20000629";

and

   xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg";

... where you can tell by the URI that in the first case one is 
dealing with a preliminary release of SVG and in the second case one 
is dealing with the finalized release of SVG.

In both cases, plugging the namespace URI into a browser brings the 
user to a helpful documentation page with pointers to learn more 
about the vocabulary.

But I don't think most URI choosers think as they should about using 
the URI to point to documentation for the XML vocabulary.

I hope this helps.

. . . . . . . Ken


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