XML complexity, namespaces (was WG)

[len bullard]

Richard Goerwitz wrote:
> 
> The sooner we can all agree on another schema mechanism, the sooner we
> can all stop trying to outfit XML with all the kludges that people have
> already built onto SGML to make it useful in a modern, scoped, object-
> oriented world.

I agree for the most part.

<rant>As one who also doesn't like to see one group try to get hegemony
by 
taking out the prior group (sort of the imperialism the europeans 
used on the american indians and the HTML community used on everyone), 
I also admit a DTD comes up short when one starts trying to do things 
with it that neither it nor SGML were designed for.  The SGML community 
realized this at least a decade ago and has been intensely involved in 
work to fix it.   Let's face it, XML has concentrated most of that 
work in one domain and be glad for it.</rant>

I think (just an opinion) the right way (morally and politically) to 
approach this is to say that as the environment has changed, and the 
demands on markup systems for applications not envisioned in the 
original designs of SGML have emerged, the requirements have changed. 
New capabilities have to be designed to meet the requirements. 

Stodgy as that may sound, it is an engineering approach to what 
is an engineering job.  We will do well to be engineers and not try 
to crusade.  Otherwise, we become like artists who also write critique:  
just politicians.

len

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