FW: Generic processing of Fragment IDs in RFC 3023bis

fyi, In case anyone in XML Core is not on the www-tag mailing list.

p.

-----Original Message-----
From: www-tag-request@w3.org [mailto:www-tag-request@w3.org] On Behalf
Of Norman Walsh
Sent: Thursday, 2010 June 24 10:36
To: www-tag@w3.org
Subject: Re: Generic processing of Fragment IDs in RFC 3023bis

Noah Mendelsohn <nrm@arcanedomain.com> writes:
> With some reluctance, the TAG therefore suggests that fragment 
> identifier interpretation be removed from the generic processing list
in 
> section Y.Y [2], and that related descriptive text be updated 
> appropriately.  In fact, it may be useful to provide some warning of
the 
> risks of generic processing of fragment identifiers.

I object! I consider the formal specification of a generic fragment
identifier syntax for XML one of the key benefits of RFC 3023.

A lot of the work that I've done in recent years (xml:id, XLink,
XProc, and on the XPath 2.0 and XQuery 1.0 Data Model) has been done
on the good faith assumption that RFC 3023 would eventually emerge
>From "bis" and formally sanction the use of #id fragment identifiers
for generic XML.

I routinely use tools implemented on the same good faith assumption.

To have that rug pulled out from under me at this late stage would be
deeply painful.

> In case it's of interest, the TAG did discuss some other possible
> resolutions to this problem, including a suggestion that RDF/XML be
> changed to a media type of application/rdf.  On balance, we feel that
> the approach suggested here is likely to be the best way forward.

Well I think you're wrong. Just because RDF has an...interesting
definition of fragment identifiers is no reason to punish the rest of
the XML world.

                                        Be seeing you,
                                          norm

-- 
Norman Walsh <ndw@nwalsh.com> | As the old hermit of Prague, that never
http://nwalsh.com/            | saw pen and ink, very wittily said to
                              | the niece of King Gorboduc, 'That that
                              | is, is'.-- Shakespeare

Received on Thursday, 24 June 2010 15:16:04 UTC