RE: Level 2 - DTDs?

Jonathan Borden wrote,
> Issues concerning *behavior* of the interfaces should 
> wait until the interfaces themselves have been defined.
> Certainly behavior is important for the design of the
> interfaces but, for example, the issues about schemas
> should wait because schemas can already be expressed using
> existing DOM mechanisms.
>
> Suppose we are writing a word processor: is it rational 
> to implement the spell checker before the keys are hooked
> up?

I agree in this particular (ie., DTD) case, but not as a
general rule.

Interfaces constrain implementations ... a given interface
might make an implementation with properties X, Y, Z
impossible. This has come up wrt the DOM: the way the 
NodeList interface was specified makes it very difficult to
put together an implementation with acceptable performance
characteristics.

Designing interfaces is something that has to be done with
a view to possible implementations ... it's an iterative
process, not a top down one.

Cheers,


Miles

-- 
Miles Sabin                          Cromwell Media
Internet Systems Architect           5/6 Glenthorne Mews
+44 (0)181 410 2230                  London, W6 0LJ
msabin@cromwellmedia.co.uk           England

Received on Tuesday, 5 January 1999 08:43:46 UTC