Re: Formatting Objects considered harmful

Subject: Re: Formatting Objects considered harmful
From: Stephen Deach <sdeach@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 11:57:29 -0700
Personal opinion:
There is a huge volume of documents that are not made available on the web
because HTML (even with CSS) is too limiting. The lack of ability to
describe sophisticated content structure led to XML.

The lack of stronger presentation capabilities in HTML (even HTML+CSS) is
the reason for many of the "creative" uses of HTML that have NO SEMANTIC
inference. The lack of ability to describe more sophisticated presentations
led to XSL.

The purpose of a stylesheet (XSL or CSS) is to map the content semntics and
structure to a presentation. The proper use of XSL is to determine the
user's desired media and limitations then produce the appropriate document
for that user. (The key is "determine the user's desired media and
limitations", not whether that transformation occurs on a server or on a
client.) Just as the structure of good print presentation differs from a
good browser presentation, the structure of a good aural presentation
differs from that of a good visual presentation. Forcing all of them into a
single mold gives less-than-ideal results to all users.

Graphic and typographic style, combined with layout are the cues one gives
a visual reader to allow the reader to infer the semantics. The various
aural properties are the cues one gives a listener to derive the semantics.
XSL gives you the power to restructure your content for appropriate
presentation on a given media, the addition of Aural-FOs is certainly
desirable.
 
---SDeach


At 18:06 1999-04-27 +0100, you wrote:
>Hi.
>
>If you insist on squeezing current websites into HTML harm has most
>defiantely been done.
>
>It's a bit like turning up at a building-site and telling the architect
>that his plans have to be drawn up using the semantics of cookery.
>
>Cheers
>     Guy.
>
>
>
>
>
>xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on 04/28/99 01:23:28 AM
>
>To:   xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>cc:    (bcc: Guy Murphy/UK/MAID)
>Subject:  Re: Formatting Objects considered harmful
>
>
>
>
>
>
>If servers output XFO instead of (X)HTML (or other globally known,
>abstract formats) harm is done.
>-h&kon
>H?kon Wium Lie             http://www.operasoftware.com/people/howcome
>howcome@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx                      simply a better browser
>
>
> XSL-List info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list
>
>
>
>
>
>
> XSL-List info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list
>
>

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  Stephen Deach                            |  Sr Computer Scientist
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