RE: [ws-rx] NEW ISSUE: editorial, use of capitalization fordefined terms

In the W3C specs you use special markup to indicate defined 
terms -- termdef defines the term and

termref is a reference to the definition.  The 
stylesheet formats termrefs in a special manner, so you

know it is a defined term and it carries a pointer to the 
definition.

 

I don't know if this kind of thing is possible in PDF but 
if it is we shd use it.

All the best, Ashok 

 

  

  
  From: Christopher B Ferris 
  [mailto:] 
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 9:44 
  AM
To: 
Subject: [ws-rx] NEW 
  ISSUE: editorial, use of capitalization for defined terms

  

Title: 

Description: 

In the spec, there are a number of cases where defined terms are used 
  in their un-capitalized form. This makes it 
difficult to determine just when a word is used as a defined term or 
  when it is being used in the conversational sense. 

As an example, in CD4 draft, starting at line 250, it 
  reads: 

        
  The RM Source will expect to receive acknowledgements from the RM Destination 
  during the course of a 
    
      message exchange at occasions described in Section 3 below. 
  Should an acknowledgement not be 
        received in a timely fashion, the RM Source 
  MUST re-transmit the message since either the message or 
        the associated 
  acknowledgement might have been lost. 

Is the use of "acknowledgements" intended to be the defined term? Hard 
  to tell. Also, is it "acknowledgements" 
or should it more correctly be "Acknowledgement Messages"? 
  

Target: spec 

Type: editorial 

proposal: 

When using 
  defined terms, use the Capitalized form, or choose a different font styling, 
  such as 
italics so as to make it clear 
  when a defined term is being used in the formal sense. 

Cheers, 

Christopher Ferris
STSM, Software Group Standards Strategy
email: 
  
blog: 
  http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/dw_blog.jspa?blog=440
phone: +1 508 
  377 9295