Re: [xml-dev] Why does XML call them "attributes" and not name-value pai

When distinctions are vague and debatable, do they really need to be represented in XML in such markedly distinct ways? An attribute being so different to an element (attribute sets, nuances of relationship to the element, etcetera) is a bit of a stumbling block or pain point for those learning XML: Not so much as namespaces, but irksome nonetheless. If it is vague and uncertain what an attribute actually is and how it differs from what an element actually is, could they have been merged, say, to reduce complexity of the specification of XML? It is a contrast point with JSON, isn’t it?

On Sat, 15 Jan 2022 at 19:13, Tim Bray <tbray@textuality.com> wrote:

Argh, next we'll be arguing about data vs metadata. I concluded decades ago that the distinction is at best not useful but probably not even real.

On Sat, Jan 15, 2022 at 11:10 AM Dimitre Novatchev <dnovatchev@gmail.com> wrote:
> Is a disease a thing, or an attribute of a thing?

OK, let me try to put it in another way. I think that an attribute contains a "fact", or a "statement" about a particular object.

An attribute's value is not a structured object (although it can contain the serialization of an object as a flat string), and it is meaningless for an attribute to have two separate instances (because they will be stating the same fact or property twice).

So, an attribute is not a structured object but is always a property of an object, which property is not itself an object.

Thanks,
Dimitre

On Sat, Jan 15, 2022 at 10:06 AM Michael Kay <mike@saxonica.com> wrote:
>
> So the color of one's hair is more of an attribute, but the hair itself, or any organ, such as heart, liver or lung, is an "element"
>
> Any objections to this?
>

I'm afraid so. Philosophers have devoted their lives to these questions, and even in the more mundane world of data modelling, many books have been written.

Since you've chosen the human body as your subject area, consider disease. Is a disease a thing, or an attribute of a thing? Is there an absolute answer to this question, or is it an engineering choice in how we model it?

Perhaps every attribute is a relationship of one thing to another. Hence RDF triples.

Michael Kay
Saxonica

--
Cheers,
Dimitre Novatchev
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