Re: HTML forms, XForms, Web Forms - which and how much?

On Apr 26, 2007, at 6:17 PM, Mark Birbeck wrote:

> Hi Maciej,
>
>> Obviously it shouldn't specify the implementation of what form
>> controls are found. But does it guarantee to authors which specific
>> *set* of form controls will be found? If not, how can you write
>> XForms code that is interoperable between multiple implementations?
>
> Given that the standard has been around for a number of years, and the
> list of implementations keeps growing, I think you can assume that
> this question has been answered.

HTML4.01 has been around for considerable more years, with many  
implementations, and there are many questions it does not answer.  
Being around a while and having lots of implementations is not enough  
to assume that the spec answers all the important questions -  
implementations could simply not be interoperable or are agreeing by  
convention.

>>  From the XForms spec, first line in the Abstract: "XForms is an XML
>> application that represents the next generation of forms for the  
>> Web. "
>
> Oh...definitely. I don't dispute that there was general belief that
> this would be the case. But the real world has impinged, and there is
> really no reason for such a limitation.

Henri's original claim was: "XForms is meant to be used only in XML- 
based host languages--not in HTML at all." The XForms spec seems to  
support his claim, that XForms is intended for use in XML-based host  
languages.

What you said in response was: "I can see why those who aren't keen  
on XForms would like this to be true, but it isn't." I think that was  
needlessly accusatory, since your argument is based on using XForms  
in a way that it wasn't originally meant to be used.

Regards,
Maciej

Received on Friday, 27 April 2007 01:33:39 UTC