Re: [xsl] Re: Output validation with XSLT 2.0

Subject: Re: [xsl] Re: Output validation with XSLT 2.0
From: Tony Graham <Tony.Graham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 05 May 2008 14:32:45 +0100
On Mon, May 05 2008 13:24:12 +0100, dnovatchev@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> On Mon, May 5, 2008 at 4:02 AM, Liam Quin <liam@xxxxxx> wrote:
>> On Sun, May 04, 2008 at 08:29:33AM -0700, Dimitre Novatchev wrote:
>> > And what if there are two good books that say different things about a
>> > feature? Isn't then the spec the "true source" to be used in resolving
>> > any such ambiguities?
>>
>> Not always -- you have to compare what implementations actually do in
>> such cases; sometimes the best anser is to change the specification to
>> reflect actual implementations.
>
> We are *not* comparing worms and apples here.
> By "resolving ambiguities" of two different implementations of a
> feature I mean deciding which of them is compliant and which not
> (wasn't this clear?).

Sometimes reality isn't that clear, e.g.:

   But most of all CSS 2.1 represents a "snapshot" of CSS usage: it
   consists of all CSS features that are implemented interoperably at
   the date of publication of the Recommendation. [1]

I doubt that producing a CSS 2.1 this way was a design goal of the
original CSS 2 effort.

> Even if in a particular case the answer is that both implementations
> are not compliant, the base for giving such an answer still will be
> the spec that the implementations implement.

Unless enough people decide otherwise, e.g.:

   WS-I's deliverables provide resources for Web services developers to
   create interoperable Web services and verify that their results are
   compliant with WS-I guidelines. Key WS-I deliverables include
   Profiles, Sample Applications and Testing Tools. [2]

I like specs, I really do -- I've worked on several and am helping work
towards another one even now -- but Liam does have a point about specs
sometimes having to accommodate to reality.

Regards,


Tony Graham                         Tony.Graham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Director                                  W3C XSL FO SG Invited Expert
Menteith Consulting Ltd
XML, XSL and XSLT consulting, programming and training
Registered Office: 13 Kelly's Bay Beach, Skerries, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Registered in Ireland - No. 428599   http://www.menteithconsulting.com
  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --
xmlroff XSL Formatter                               http://xmlroff.org
xslide Emacs mode                  http://www.menteith.com/wiki/xslide
Unicode: A Primer                               urn:isbn:0-7645-4625-2


[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/
[2] http://www.ws-i.org/deliverables/Default.aspx

Current Thread