Ambiguity in Lists

Sirs:

        I wish to point out that the Schema Part 2 description of lists
datatypes does
not specify what happens in the circumstance that the atomic components are
strings of a specified length (via a restriction of length="8", say) and some of
these have spaces within them.  Are parsers required to return these atomic
components intact within a list?  Do validators count them as a single atom?  If
so, it will requires extra complexity in the parser/validator to first locate
PROPER S boundaries between proper atomic units before counting atomic units or
parsing them.  If not, then one looses an important functionality of lists.

Ed Shaya
Chief Scientist
Astronomical Data Center/NASA