From XML to Latin Was: XML Information Set Requirements, W3C Note 18-February-1999

[Rob Schoening]

>I think this issue needs to be addressed. It may be the case that the stream
>contains, not one, but many documents, where each information "packet" is a
>document. Or perhaps the afore-mentioned notion of "document fragment" is
>introduced, and each packet is a fragment. But it will definitely be
>necessary to support this kind of processing in some manner. 


It definitely needs to be addressed.

XML would do well to take a long hard look at natural language.  That is,
what are the aspects of natural langauge that allow us to deal with them in
both spoken and written form in a variety of media (on paper, on screen, on
tape, on air, etc...)?

As Jeffrey suggested, we're getting stuck on the markup when markup is only
a small part of the picture.  If that happens we're going to end up with
Latin!  It is formal and precise, but not so terribly useful for
communication.  These days that's a crippling liability.

Does the W3C have a set of use-cases for XML.  I'd be very interested to see
them.

Rob


>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-xml-dev at ic.ac.uk [mailto:owner-xml-dev at ic.ac.uk]On Behalf Of
>John Cowan
>Sent: Friday, February 19, 1999 2:07 PM
>To: XML Dev
>Subject: Re: XML Information Set Requirements, W3C Note 18-February-1999
>
>
>Nathan Kurz wrote:
>
>> And if the stream is continuous (for example, an XML
>> stock ticker) even the concept of a well-formed stream seems tenuous.
>
>It's not clear that XML supports infinitely long streams (where the
>end-tag of the document element is *never* reached).
>
>-- 
>John Cowan	http://www.ccil.org/~cowan		cowan at ccil.org
>	You tollerday donsk?  N.  You tolkatiff scowegian?  Nn.
>	You spigotty anglease?  Nnn.  You phonio saxo?  Nnnn.
>		Clear all so!  'Tis a Jute.... (Finnegans Wake 16.5)
>
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