- From: Shane McCarron <shane@aptest.com>
- Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2007 14:10:29 -0500
- To: Keith Alexander <k.j.w.alexander@gmail.com>
- CC: RDFa <public-rdf-in-xhtml-tf@w3.org>
Keith Alexander wrote: > I still don't understand why a DOCTYPE should mandate RDFa content. > Shane, you were pretty convincing that DTDs indicate syntax rather than > semantics. DOCTYPEs /are/ well understood, but for validating SGML rather > than determining semantics or triples generation. And the syntax and > semantics of RDFa in XHTML are not inseparable. You could need to change > the rules for triples generation in RDFa, but the essential syntax > (insofar as the DTD is concerned) need not change. > > So, if, philosophically, DTDs are syntactic rather than semantic, and > practically, invisible to javascript and XSLT, what is the advantage in > de-aligning RDFa from GRDDL by intending they be used to convey RDFa > semantics? (caveat - I know nothing of GRDDL) In order to add RDFa to XHTML (1.1) we need to extend the grammar. There are some content model changes, extra attributes, etc. In an XHTML context, this means that you define a new markup language that is a member of the XHTML family, and includes these extensions. Such a new markup language has a new FPI. Therefore, in an XHTML context at least, it makes sense to interpret say "this FPI means there is RDFa annotation in this document." You mention that you might need to change the rules for triples generation. I think that is incorrect. The RDFa syntax document should, when complete, define the rules for generating basic triples in any context. That, plus any markup-language specific rules (e.g., the title element in HTML does the following...) define hard and fast rules for generating triples in that markup language. These have to be immutable, IMHO, or you don't get the portability and interoperability that we are looking for. As a document author, I need to be able to write some content once, and KNOW it will be interpreted as I meant it to be by everyone who looks at it. -- Shane P. McCarron Phone: +1 763 786-8160 x120 Managing Director Fax: +1 763 786-8180 ApTest Minnesota Inet: shane@aptest.com
Received on Tuesday, 26 June 2007 19:10:40 UTC