Re: Grand Unification Theory

Subject: Re: Grand Unification Theory
From: Lars Marius Garshol <larsga@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 15 Apr 1999 09:27:07 +0200
* Duane Nickull
| 
| I am for unification of XSL and XPointer.

I'm not sure if this is such a good idea. I used to support this idea,
too, but after I've seen the uses that XSL patterns are being put to
I'm not so sure any more.

XPointers are supposed to be used for locating a specific point or
range in an XML document. (The current version can locate multiple
points, but I'm not sure that's a good idea.) 

XSL patterns, on the other hand, are supposed to:

  - be triggered by a specific set of elements
  - be used as string expressions
  - be used as boolean test expressions
  - be used to locate a specific node in the document relative to a
  specific node

Only the last of these uses is really in harmony with XPointer,
although the first also has some similarities. So, while this may be
possible it's not clear if the results will be very nice.

If it's possible to give XPointer and XSL a common subset giving each
extensions in separate directions this might have something going for
it, but I'm not really too hopeful.

* Jelks Cabaniss
| 
| While we're at it, let's do the same with CSS and FO.

I agree that this is a good idea, but it seems that this work is
already being done. At least, that's what section 3.2 of the current
XSL WD claims.

--Lars M.


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