RE: Proposed restatement of syntax-based interoperability princip le ( was RE: Action item on syntax-based interoperability)

No, you stacked the definition.  No smart engineer builds networked 
database systems without some idea of the data types.  You redefined 
portable data to mean interoperable system and that is simply 
a way to say two systems that understand each other reasonably 
well can rely on email to work together.  That's all. 

Portable data.  Inteoperable systems.  A priori agreements 
about types even if informal.  HTML works because it is 
bloody obvious even to a script kiddie what a <p> is but
someone has to tell you what <eventID>0100</eventID> is.

len


From: Tim Bray [mailto:tbray@textuality.com]

I'm certainly not arguing that APIs and data models aren't useful and 
necessary citizens of the software universe.  I'm just saying that they 
do not provide a basis for interoperability in networked information 
systems.  And the evidence is on my side. -Tim