Wish lists for the Holidays

[Michael Rossi]

Simon St.Laurent wrote:
> 
> At 04:31 PM 12/24/99 -0800, Don Park wrote:
> >Atomic XML standards are one page specs each of which defines
> >a single 'power word', a tag name or an attribute name.  An
> >example is 'xmlns' or 'table'.
> >
> >Molecular XML standards are small specs each of which defines
> >a single 'power phrase', a micro-schema involving just a few
> >elements.  An example is 'address' molecule that consists of
> >small number of elements that make up an address.
> >
> >These 'micro-standards' will allow us to create a more coherent
> >XML document standards as well as XML software that can 'learn'
> >to handle new standards by plugging in new power words or phrases.
> 
> This is beautiful!  I'd love to see more projects that assemble smaller
> pieces, rather than trying to create anew within gigantic frameworks.

   While not an exact analogy, this concept brings ontologies to mind.
<Caveat>I claim to know nothing about ontologies except what I've read on
http://www.Ontology.org. </Caveat> Again, the concept seems to be that
defining fundamental notions as building blocks can serve as a catalyst for
more advanced interoperability.

> 
<snip/>
> 
> Based on these wish lists, it sounds like 2000 is pretty promising.  Are
> there more folks with dreams for the next year?  XML-dev is a great place
> to find people with similar needs and interests.

   One thing that springs to mind would be a finalization of some
specification for rendering XML on the web (presumably XSL FOs). That isn't
to say that focusing the W3C's efforts on transformation was a bad thing. On
the contrary, it arguably paved the way for the next step. But I think it's
time to move on and get some groundswell for more things like FOP. If we
could get XML onto actual web pages, instead of just being converted to
HTML, maybe we'd start to see more of the "promises" being kept. Accurate
search results you say? More interactive and intelligent web-apps you say?
Not if XML is only on the back-end. I'd like to see XML step up to the front
in 2000. But I guess the real trick will be getting MS and NS (ah, I mean
AOL) to buy in. Yeah. :-)

Michael A. Rossi
mailto:mrossi at jcals.csc.com
856-983-4400 x4911

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