Re: [xml-dev] SGML SEEALSO Parameter

[Marcus Reichardt <u123724@gmail.com>]

It's indeed somewhat nebulous, and consulting The SGML Handbook
doesn't help either ;) but my guess would be that APPINFO can contain
some string that's passed to "the application" to switch some global
per-doc behavior not otherwise represented in a DTD, LPD, or PI; or at
least that's what I take away from old OmniMark docs
(<http://developers.omnimark.com/documentation/v3r1a/doc/eum27/html/chap14.htm>).

Whereas SEEALSO contains zero or more public identifiers
(specifically, so not just quoted strings/minimum literals) stating
that some additional requirements (hence the name of the grammar
production) are expected to be met for a doc to which that SGML decl
applies, and which can't be represented otherwise. In the case of the
SGML declaration for XML 1.0 (up until fourth ed.) these addtional
requirements include that names must not begin with [Xx][Mm][Ll], that
#PCDATA is only valid as the first token in a content model
declaration (yet can appear anywhere in a respective content model
instance), etc. etc. as exhaustively enumerated in
<https://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-sgml-xml-971215/>.

And while I agree with your interpretation that "not characterizable
by WebSGML without the use of the SEEALSO capability" should mean "not
generally SGML-parseable" in this context, actually what Annex K says
is that additional requirements must not contradict SGML requirements:

> The public identifiers identify additional requirements for the document,
> including requirements unrelated to the SGML language. These requirements
> are in addition to, and must not contradict, the requirements of this International Standard.

On 7/22/21, Arjun Ray <arayq2@gmail.com> wrote:
>  On Wed, 21 Jul 2021 15:09:20 -0400, John Cowan <johnwcowan@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> | On Wed, Jul 21, 2021 at 12:30 AM Rick Jelliffe <rjelliffe@allette.com.au>
> | wrote:
>
> | > 3. The language *MUST NOT* be characterizable by WebSGML (ISO SGML as
> | > extended, e.g. by Annex J and K) without the use of the SEEALSO
> capability.
> |
> | Alas, I am not an SGML maven, so I can't interpret that without much
> | research.
>
> The SEEALSO parameter in the SGML Declaration was itself invented in
> the WebSGML TC, I believe:
>
>     http://www.sgmlsource.com/8879/n0029.htm
>
> It isn't documented well at all, so the details and nuances are known
> only to the people present at the creation.  The general idea seems to
> be that it's a reference to another spec of some kind that documents
> constraints not expressible in SGML.  (Though how that differs from
> APPINFO is somewhat of a mystery too.)
>
> All kind of vague, no doubt.
>
> Rick may be getting at the idea that this new generation XML may not
> even be a SGML "profile", and that therefore, inter alia, we should
> not expect a conforming SGMl parser, even with modifications, to be
> able to parse all new doucments.  Presaging a final break with SGML?
> Just a guess.
>
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