Comments on 1999-08-24 XHTML PR

[This is a copy of a message sent to w3c-html-review@w3.org,
containing my feedback on the XHTML PR.]

I believe that the single most important requirement for an XHTML
Recommendation -- the only one that really justifies the work -- is
the establishment of a single, standard XML Namespace for HTML, so
that we can begin writing software that recognizes HTML markup
embedded in other document types.

The XHTML Proposed Recommendation of 1999-08-24 fails to meet this
simple requirement (it proposes three separate Namespaces, with the
threat of more in the future), and thus, brings at best no real
benefit and at worst confusion and actual harm to the XML community.
The decision to burden XHTML with multiple Namespaces contradicts the
publicly-stated recommendations of many of the most prominent people
in the XML community, including Tim Bray, James Clark, and Jon Bosak.
More recently, at least two W3C staff members, Dan Connolly and Arnaud
Le Hors, have also posted in favour of a single XHTML Namespace.

Furthermore, the presence of multiple Namespaces will cause serious
interoperability problems with other W3C specifications, particularly,
XSL, and will open the W3C to the renewed charge that it cannot
release specifications that work together.

Although I am not an AC representative, I would like to recommend most
strongly that the director not promote XHTML to a Recommendation in
its current state.


Thanks, and all the best,


David

-- 
David Megginson                 david@megginson.com
           http://www.megginson.com/

Received on Monday, 30 August 1999 06:31:06 UTC