Musing over Namespaces

[David Megginson]

Clark C. Evans writes:
 > 
 > 
 > On 14 Dec 1999, David Megginson wrote:
 > > > Why can't we have central registry of XML names?
 > > 
 > > I don't think that the XML world needs its own Network Solutions.
 > > Hmmm .. actually, maybe I could squat on element names like "task" and
 > > "work-order" until GM pays me $2M for them.
 > 
 > I think it can be done very effectively informally.  The Oxford
 > English Dictionary is not _the_ authoritative reference for
 > english, but it is certainly one of the top ones... and other
 > dictionaries will have a hard time if they are too "incompatible"

Let's say that we have an element- and attribute-name registery
instead of Namespaces, and I register the element name "purchase";
now, presumably, no one else can use that in a document type without
my authorization (since a registry is pointless otherwise).

Personally, I'd rather see a world with

  {http://www.sun.com/ns/}purchase
  {http://www.ibm.com/ns/}purchase
  {http://www.amazon.com/ns/}purchase

than a world with

  XML Name Registery Search results
  ---------------------------------

  XML name: "purchase"

  Sorry, this element name has already been registered.
  
  Owner: Microsoft Ltd.
  Technical contact: xmlnames at microsoft.com
  Contact info: ...


All the best,


David

-- 
David Megginson                 david at megginson.com
           http://www.megginson.com/

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