Re: XHTML character entity support

On 11/3/09 1:08 PM, Shelley Powers wrote:
> Second, what you're discussing seems to be something that's general to
> all XML parsers, not just browsers. As such, it would be better
> defined as part of XML core, rather than an end case like HTML5. Or is
> there something unique that the browsers do that falls outside of
> normal XML parsing?

As I understand it, XML core allows several different parser behaviors 
here (ranging from "report a well-formedness error" to "load the DTD and 
expand entities using it" to "use a local catalog" to "just shows the 
unexpanded entities as text").  I could be wrong in this understanding, 
of course; please correct me if I am.

If I understand correctly, browsers have by and large chosen a 
particular behavior: using a local catalog for particular DTDs.  The 
suggestion is to define that those particular DTDs should use a specific 
local catalog and what that local catalog is.

Since the DTDs involved are the various XHTML DTDs, it seems that this 
group might be the one tasked with such definition.

> Besides, the point is moot: XHTML5 does not have a DTD, only the five
> predefined works with the XHTML.

Agreed; this discussion isn't about XHTML5 per se.

> The job of this working group is not to normalize all of the browser
> quirks and differences. Don't you agree?

In the area of "html" (whatever that might mean), this does in fact seem 
like the job of this working group, fundamentally.

-Boris

Received on Tuesday, 3 November 2009 18:57:54 UTC