Re: Ephemeral XML?

> What I am trying to get at is that XML docs as seen by the client can either
> be "raw" XML or "cooked" XML that simplifies (and speeds up!) client-side
> implementation. Cooked in terms of AFs. Cooked in terms of BOS. Cooked in
> terms of ...
> The transition from raw to cooked - if done at the server side - does not
> complicate the client.  Simple client - more complex servers.

If we had the option of having a smart server universally deployed, we
could have made some radically different decisions in the last part of
our design of XML. RS/RE would irrelevant, because they could be stripped
in the server. End-tag GIs could be omitted because they would be
irrelevant in the communication between two computer processes. etc. etc.

We have always thought of XML as just another MIME type that does not 
require a special server and should continue to do so. If XML becomes the
dominant mime type, the king of the mime hill, then we can impose our 
vision of the relationship between hypermedia client and server at a later 
date. We could even express that vision now: as long as it is optional.

 Paul Prescod

Received on Monday, 13 January 1997 06:28:16 UTC