Re: SGML/XML syntax for DSSSL

Subject: Re: SGML/XML syntax for DSSSL
From: "Mitch C. Amiano" <amiamc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 09:54:01 -0400
> >I'm not so sure on this point. XML syntax will probably be comfortable
> >for people used to SGML or XML, but it seems just as foreign to HTML
> >users as CSS. It uses angle brackets, true, but the tag names are all
> >totally different. They will notice that immediately and think: "this is
> >a totally different language."

It is a different language. The question is whether you believe it
is more important to reinforce that difference to prevent people from
making incorrect associations with XML/HTML processing, or if you want
to
 minimize it in order to encourage people to get their feet wet.

The administrative assistant down the hall (an intelligent and motivated
individual, but not a programmer) is learning HTML. She recently had an
"aha!" experience, and is going gangbusters coding up HTML. She would
view
yet another syntax with intimidation. But using XML as syntactic sugar,
 I think, would help blunt that initial intimidation factor.

This belies the widespread aesthetic that heavy use of any punctuation
symbol
 is ugly. After committing to use of HTML, XML, or SGML, (or perl or tcl
or...)
that bridge has already been crossed.

--
Mitch C. Amiano, Technical Staff Member
Advanced Design Process Group, 1630 Hardware Department
Alcatel Network Systems
2912 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27609 USA
919 850 1246
amiamc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Opinions expressed are my own and are not a representation of Alcatel

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