Re: KISS (was: Parameter entity references in WF docs)

> [Martin Bryan, quoting Len Bullard:]
> 
> | >  Given choices of things that I as an SGML 
> | >designer have to give up to get freedom of markup back on the 
> | >Web, I'm willing to let PEs go in the first pass.
> | 
> | And I'm willing to abandon XML if it does not let me validatable
> | maintainable  DTDs within at least a year.
> 
> XML is optimized for use as a delivery format for structured data from
> databases, not as a database format per se.  If you need the features
> of full SGML, then you should use full SGML.
> 
> This discussion has pretty well persuaded me that we should leave
> parameter entities out of XML 1.0.  Entities should not be multiplied
> unnecessarily.

This would seem to indicate that we should consider XML a "deliver format" or
"output" only--especically in large environments.  I envision people using XML 
as their *sole* encoding format.  Hence, if we don't provide the ability for 
people to manipulate and organize definitions within XML, they will do it in 
some proprietary way outside of XML.

Some will use SGML, others will not.  Developers will wonder what we were
thinking not allowing them to include "modules" *in* XML.

I feel strongly that we should leave them in.  

Simplicity does not always equal functionality.

==============================================================================
R. Alexander Milowski     http://www.copsol.com/   alex@copsol.com
Copernican Solutions Incorporated                  (612) 379 - 3608

Received on Wednesday, 4 June 1997 13:11:14 UTC