Re: Validation Update: success!

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