Re: Formatting Objects considered harmful

Subject: Re: Formatting Objects considered harmful
From: Paul Prescod <paul@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 00:02:45 -0500
"Simon St.Laurent" wrote:
> 
> >The W3C creates technologies to *enable* more exciting, powerful uses of
> >the Web. They cannot *require* that people use their technologies or use
> >them properly.
> 
> Certainly.  But creating follow-up technologies (XSL) that largely negate
> the benefits of key technologies (XML) doesn't seem too smart.

Used properly, XSL does not negate the benefits of XML. cf. "Enabling"
versus "requiring".

You might as well argue that CSS negates HTML's benefits by allowing SPAN
and DIV formatting.

> Ah, but it might have happened if we'd stuck to the earlier Web model of
> annotation-based styles, rather than giving businesses an immediate out
> through XSL and FOs.

The Web business model since day 2 (cgi-bin) has been "dumb down data and
shove out the door." The annotation-based model was not going to change
that. Now corporations have the ability to build new business models
around structured data. That is an unqualified step forward.

-- 
 Paul Prescod  - ISOGEN Consulting Engineer speaking for only himself
 http://itrc.uwaterloo.ca/~papresco

"Microsoft spokesman Ian Hatton admits that the Linux system would have
performed better had it been tuned."
"Future press releases on the issue will clearly state that the research
was sponsored by Microsoft."
  http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/enterprise/1999/9904221410.asp


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