Re: Second International Symposium on Invisible XML

Elisa,

Just to be clear (in case I misspoke) I don't think "iXML" or "Invisible
XML" should be in the name of the Symposium.

This is not at all the same calculus as naming any other event or
organization, FWIW. But for *this* event, I am trying to second Steven's
suggestion that the focus be implicit, and created by the participants, not
stipulated (and bounded by) the event's name.

Thanks for splitting hairs with me!
Cheers, Wendell


On Tue, Aug 18, 2026 at 4:13 PM Elisa Beshero-Bondar <ebbondar@gmail.com>
wrote:

> This phrase sprang to mind, Wendell:
>
> The Invisible XML Symposium: for Markup and Beyond?
>
>
> Elisa Beshero-Bondar, PhD (she/they)
> Chair, TEI Technical Council
> Program Chair of Digital Media, Arts, and Technology | Professor of
> Digital Humanities |  Director of the Digital Humanities Lab at Penn State
> Erie, The Behrend College
>
> Typeset by hand on my iPhone
>
> On Aug 18, 2026, at 3:50 PM, Wendell Piez <wapiez@wendellpiez.com> wrote:
>
> 
> Hello again,
>
> Sheila makes an excellent point that by no means should iXML be downplayed
> at the iXML Symposium (as I think of it), in either marketing materials or
> anywhere else.
>
> I am not shy about saying that iXML should be at the center. It is more a
> question of messaging who is welcome to come. If someone creates an
> iXML-workalike creating S-expressions or curlies, I don't want them to
> think they are outside the bounds of What May Be Discussed. Those are
> really the people that need to be there, are they not?
>
> Indeed, if any mention of "The Markup Y" or "Declarative Z" must always be
> appended with (hushed voice) "it's an *XML* event" just so people feel they
> are being honest - that would be an excellent thing.
>
> Again, I think Balisage has set a good example, as its statement of
> interest is quite broad beyond XML, and so does its title. It is diminished
> if you think it was only an XML event.
>
> Cheers, Wendell
>
>
> On Tue, Aug 18, 2026 at 2:52 PM Sheila Thomson <discuss@bluegumtree.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I see the merits of both options ("markup" or "XML") and have no
>> preference either way.
>>
>> Bethan makes a good point in relation to "discoverability" - in that if
>> the name is changed, it will be important to ensure that there is still
>> explicit mention of "IXML" and "invisible XML" in promotional material
>> and other related comms, to increase the odds of it reaching people
>> searching for those more commonly used terms.
>>
>> Sheila
>>
>> On 18/08/2026 15:01, Bethan Tovey-Walsh wrote:
>> > I don't object to the change in principle, but currently there are a
>> lot of people doing IXML and not a lot of people doing "invisible markup".
>> My concern when we talked about this for the first Symposium was about
>> whether the term "invisible markup" really means anything to people -
>> whereas we *know* that people are talking about and working with IXML.
>> >
>> > (It does also seem weird to me that someone who would be interested in
>> markup is *not at all* interested in XML. But I have met humans, and
>> "weird" seems to be the one thing that they all have in common.)
>> >
>> > BTW
>> >
>> > ___________________________________________________
>> > Dr. Bethan Tovey-Walsh
>> >
>> > linguacelta.com
>> <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flinguacelta.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ceeb4%40psu.edu%7C46b46d24cc274b10997508defd61eb3a%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C639226794207030495%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=aZhU%2FgEQxbyEL0JUmwofMRRaao3VGtNnaWIpwry1mvg%3D&reserved=0>
>> >
>> > Golygydd | Editor geirfan.cymru
>> >
>> > Croeso i chi ysgrifennu ataf yn y Gymraeg.
>> >
>> >> On 18 Aug 2026, at 14:42, Norm Tovey-Walsh <norm@saxonica.com> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Steven Pemberton <steven.pemberton@cwi.nl> writes:
>> >>> Oh, hey! This XML stuff is actually pretty cool!
>> >> I love your optimism. Have you met humans? :-)
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Norm Tovey-Walsh
>> >> Saxonica
>> >>
>> >
>>
>>
>
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