Re: [xml-dev] costs of bureaucracy (was Re: [xml-dev] Not using mixed co

[Michael Kay <mike@saxonica.com>]

> 
> Conventions are fine.  Humans have used them forever.
> 
> They used to be more flexible, though.  

There's a lot to be said for making the rules more flexible. The stuff that says on your tax form you can't use "&" or "<" in a notes field is laughable, especially if you're an XML geek. Those rules stem from the incompetence of outsourced programming.

But having flexible rules isn't the same as having no rules. If I'm telling someone my date of birth I need to know whether they are reading it as d/m/y or m/d/y, otherwise we'll simply miscommunicate. Data interchange isn't going to work if it's reduced to a game of guesswork.

Michael Kay
Saxonica