Re: XPDL (was Re: XML is broken)

Subject: Re: XPDL (was Re: XML is broken)
From: Chris Lilley <chris@xxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 19:38:50 +0200

Guy_Murphy@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> And the issue of manifests, while very appealing, I feel might be best
> solved from XLink/XPointer. If this where rich enough then an
> XLink/XPointer resource could constitute a manifest. 

Note that my proposal *did* use XLink and XPointer in exactly such a
manner.

> I'm not sure what the
> advantages of another proposal in this area might offer except to confuse
> an already confusing area.

Wewll, XLink and XPointer can be used in other things (documents, data,
graphics) too.

The manifest is a special purpose XML instance that contains no content,
just a collection of links. I also imagined it to be recursive (you
could point to other manifests, too).

> I confess to a heavy personal bias here, and am merely expressing
> preference, not making assertions of "the one true path", but would we be
> better addressing the shortcommings of XLink, 

Sure. Since XLink and XPointer extend XML, this list seems on topic so,
how about you list the shortcomings of XLink and then we discuss them?

> and see if the W3C can't be given a kick.

Kicks to an organisation are best directed at specific targets, rather
than in a general direction.

> People have explained to me why the W3C need to take such an unholy amount
> of time over these standards comprising of a handful of tags, but I seem to
> have forgotten. 

I'm not sure why either; have you mailed the editors and asked? The
staff contact is Daniel Veillard <Daniel.Veillard@xxxxxx>, copied on
this message. In general, asking an entire mailing luist why W3C is
doing something is going to be less effective than finding the key
contacts and asking them directly.

> Is there a mailing list that XLink falls within the remit
> of? (xml-dev?) 

xml-dev seems within scope, unless the volume of mail becomes onerous or
it becomes to non-developer, this seems a good place for such
discussions. If there is need, a public XLink maiuling list could
rapidly be created.

> At the moment it seems to suffer from a stunning lack of
> imagination.

Does "it" refer to XLink or to xml-dev? Either way, I'm not sure I agree
with the assertion.

--
Chris



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