Re: CSS and XSL?

Subject: Re: CSS and XSL?
From: Stephen Deach <sdeach@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 08:27:28 -0700
You will note, in my response to Mr Levanthal that I posted to this list, I
included the following 2 statements:

1.) "The XSL submission and charter require the XSL WG to support the
functionality of both CSS & DSSSL. Well over half the effort of the group
defining the XSL formatting objects was to understand the full
capabilities, the property interactions, the discrepancies, and the
limitations of BOTH these formatting languages, then redefine the
formatting model in a compatible manner. XSL fully incorporates the
formatting capability of CSS."

2.) "The W3C has established a joint committee to maintain compatibility
between XSL?s & CSS?s formatting models and properties."

This seems to be pretty close to your desires stated below. 

Please note:
  Even though I am "Editor" of the XSL WD (Formatting Objects), I can not
make a statement representing the official position of the W3C nor the
XSL-WG. A statement of the W3C's position must come from the W3C's press
contact or be published by the W3C. Official position statements from the
XSL-WG require a vote by the WG and W3C staff contact clearance.
  The quoted text above is a repetition of statements made in my previous
"personal opinion" message.

---SDeach


At 08:54 1999-06-11 -0400, you wrote:
>At 12:27 PM 6/11/99 +0800, James Tauber wrote:
>>My reading of the XSL spec suggests that XSL FOs very much build on CSS
>>and go to great lengths to use the same vocabulary.
>>
>>I don't know what has given people the impression that this is not the
>>case.
>
>The latest draft definitely moves FOs toward a CSS-based vocabulary.
>Statements like that below are encouraging:
>
>>XSL builds on the prior work on Cascading Style Sheets [CSS2]and the 
>>Document Style Semantics and Specification Language [DSSSL]. XSL 
>>provides the most of the formatting objects and properties of CSS. 
>>(Conceptually, the formatting objects of CSS are indicated by using 
>>the "display" property of CSS on some existing source element.) Over 
>>90 percent of the properties in XSL are properties that are already 
>>defined in CSS. This set of properties (and formatting objects), 
>>however, is not sufficient to accomplish all the goals of XSL. In 
>>particular, this version of XSL introduces a model for pagination 
>>and layout that can be extended, in a straightforward way, to page 
>>structures beyond the simple page models described in this specification. 
>
>However, such explicit claims of compatibility are a _recent_ development,
>something that hasn't yet been reflected in the rhetoric of XSL's
>supporters. After the many blasts on the CSS display model on this list
>about a year ago, I'm impressed that someone had their head together enough
>to make sure this happened.
>
>A public statement from the W3C that CSS and XSL vocabularies are to be
>reconciled would make this convergence much more believable, and might cool
>down certain controversies.  It's nice that XSL is finally recognizing that
>CSS has a heritage worth inheriting; it's troubling that the relationship
>between the two specs remains murky.
>
>Simon St.Laurent
>XML: A Primer / Building XML Applications
>Inside XML DTDs: Scientific and Technical (July)
>Sharing Bandwidth / Cookies
>http://www.simonstl.com
>
>
> XSL-List info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list
>
>

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