Re: XPointer considered incomprehensible

* Jonathan Marsh wrote:
>The problem is in education and evangelization - the value of XPointer
>is proportional to the number of media types that make use of it.  Is
>there more we can do to jumpstart the network effect?  Perhaps the TAG
>can survey the +xml media types and determine how many aren't
>compatible, and apply some pressure to get them fixed.

The following types define fragment identifiers by saying something to
the effect of "same as for application/xml [RFC3023]" (which implies
that the semantics of fragment identifiers are undefined for the type):

  * application/atom+xml
  * application/ccxml+xml
  * application/epp+xml
  * application/pls+xml
  * application/soap+xml
  * application/srgs+xml
  * application/ssml+xml
  * application/voicexml+xml
  * application/xop+xml

The following types refer to application/xhtml+xml instead:

  * application/xhtml-voice+xml
  * application/xv+xml

The following types define semantics of fragment identifiers:

  * application/rdf+xml
  * application/smil+xml
  * application/xhtml+xml

and for all other registered +xml types I was unable to locate any
discussion of fragment identifiers in their respective specifications:

  * application/beep+xml
  * application/cnrp+xml
  * application/conference-info+xml
  * application/cpl+xml
  * application/csta+xml
  * application/CSTAdata+xml
  * application/dialog-info+xml
  * application/im-iscomposing+xml
  * application/kpml-request+xml
  * application/kpml-response+xml
  * application/pidf+xml
  * application/poc-settings+xml
  * application/reginfo+xml
  * application/resource-lists+xml
  * application/rlmi+xml
  * application/rls-services+xml
  * application/samlassertion+xml
  * application/samlmetadata+xml
  * application/sbml+xml
  * application/shf+xml
  * application/simple-filter+xml
  * application/spirits-event+xml
  * application/vnd.3gpp.bsf+xml
  * application/vnd.3gpp2.bcmcsinfo+xml
  * application/vnd.apple.installer+xml
  * application/vnd.criticaltools.wbs+xml
  * application/vnd.HandHeld-Entertainment+xml
  * application/vnd.irepository.package+xml
  * application/vnd.liberty-request+xml
  * application/vnd.llamagraphics.life-balance.exchange+xml
  * application/vnd.mozilla.xul+xml
  * application/vnd.nokia.conml+xml
  * application/vnd.nokia.iptv.config+xml
  * application/vnd.nokia.landmark+xml
  * application/vnd.nokia.landmarkcollection+xml
  * application/vnd.nokia.pcd+xml
  * application/vnd.oma.dd2+xml
  * application/vnd.omads-email+xml
  * application/vnd.omads-file+xml
  * application/vnd.omads-folder+xml
  * application/vnd.otps.ct-kip+xml
  * application/vnd.pwg-xhtml-print+xml
  * application/vnd.solent.sdkm+xml
  * application/vnd.sun.wadl+xml
  * application/vnd.syncml.+xml
  * application/vnd.uoml+xml
  * application/vnd.wv.csp+xml
  * application/vnd.wv.ssp+xml
  * application/vnd.zzazz.deck+xml
  * application/watcherinfo+xml
  * application/xcap-att+xml
  * application/xcap-caps+xml
  * application/xcap-el+xml
  * application/xcap-error+xml
  * application/xenc+xml
  * application/xmpp+xml
  * model/vnd.moml+xml

Among these types, I would argue that none of them really uses XPointer,
and only one (application/rdf+xml) is incompatible with XPointer. So if
we replace application/rdf+xml it should not be difficult to change RFC
3023 such that XPointer becomes the fragment identifier syntax for any
and all +xml media types.

(There are a number of XML media types like application/smil that do not
follow the +xml convention, I did not check those).
-- 
Björn Höhrmann · mailto:bjoern@hoehrmann.de · http://bjoern.hoehrmann.de
Weinh. Str. 22 · Telefon: +49(0)621/4309674 · http://www.bjoernsworld.de
68309 Mannheim · PGP Pub. KeyID: 0xA4357E78 · http://www.websitedev.de/ 

Received on Tuesday, 5 September 2006 16:01:17 UTC