Re: Comments in XML-valued dead properties

I prefer saying nothing about comment preservation.

Cheers,
Geoff


w3c-dist-auth-request@w3.org wrote on 12/28/2005 01:13:37 PM:

> 
> 
> We've had some discussion of the preservation of comments in XML-valued 
> properties.  I believe we came to consensus on what Geoff pointed out, 
> that when the XML-valued property is a live property, the server has 
> very good reasons not to preserve comments -- the live property that is 
> writable can be considered a configuration setting, the value of which 
> the server uses to affect its own behavior.  There may be other ways 
> the server wishes to normalize live XML properties (e.g. replacing 
> prefixes!)
> 
> But at any rate, I had wondered if we consider dead properties to be 
> different.  A dead property is used for a client to set information 
> that it can use later, or for a client to set information that other 
> clients can use.  Some dead properties are even for human consumption 
> (perhaps with some processing).  Thus, it's quite possible for clients 
> to have a use case where the comment is important.  Following this line 
> of reasoning I added to the -09 draft some "test balloon" text:
> 
>     "In dead properties (considered as content, like document bodies)
>     servers are encouraged to (MAY) preserve, for any Comment 
Information
>     Item in the value:
> 
>        "[content]"
> 
> Julian's the only one who has commented on this and proposed removing 
> that text which I admit is rather weak as it tries to land somewhere 
> between MAY and SHOULD.  Saying nothing about comment preservation 
> would have clients unable to rely on that:
> 
>     "XML Infoset attributes not listed above MAY be preserved by the
>     server, but clients MUST NOT rely on them being preserved."
> 
> What do y'all prefer?
>   - Servers SHOULD preserve comments
>   - Servers are encouraged to preserve comments
>   - Say nothing about comments thus clients MUST NOT rely on them
>   - Other... ?
> 
> Lisa
> 
>