Re: line breaks vs. line elements (comments on XHTML 2.0 text module)

On Wed, 6 Nov 2002, Peter Sheerin wrote:
>
> ----------------------------------------------
>      The displacements of the membrane
> under load are described by the equations
> 
> [two fancy math expressions were here]
> 
> where r is the radial coordinate, a is the
> radius of the clamping edge, w is the
> transverse...
> ----------------------------------------------
> 
> So, in XHTML, this would be:
> 
> <p>The displacements of the membrane
> under load are described by the equations<br />
> <math>
> [two fancy math expressions were here]
> </math>
> where r is the radial coordinate, a is the
> radius of the clamping edge, w is the
> transverse...</p>

No it wouldn't. It would be:

   <p>The displacements of the membrane under load are described by the
   equations
   <math>
    [two fancy math expressions were here]
   </math>
   where r is the radial coordinate, a is the radius of the clamping edge,
   w is the transverse...</p>

...and the stylesheet would imply the linebreak by using display:block or
some such.

The <br/> has absolutely no semantic reason to be in that example. The key
phrase which is a good indicator of this is:

   there is a need to force a linebreak to make sure that space is left
   for the figure and so that text justification may occur

There is _never_ a need, _in HTML_, to force a linebreak, or to ensure
that "space is left", or to do anything with "text justification". HTML is
a semantic markup language, not a page description language.

-- 
Ian Hickson                                      )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
"meow"                                          /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
http://index.hixie.ch/                         `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'