RE: The Web as an Application

Hi David,

> Only one of these (xml:base) is even close to language 
> oriented.   and xml:base is *only* there to serve the problem 
> which was generated by allowing external parsed entities.   
> xml:base doesnt let you link to anything ... it is only 
> informational about where parts of a XML docuement may have 
> come from that were not where you originally asked for it.   
> It has nothing at all to do with the application layer.

It is the application "layer" [1][2], or level, to use the term from
the w3c, that I am trying to delineate.  

The concept of "application layer" cannot be meaningfully applied
to XML, and although we use the term, it does not have a precise
meaning (XML could be said to be _entirely_ at the application level), 
therefore the rejection of XML hypermedia based on the 'layer' of XML 
vs that of a vocabulary in XML is faulty.  At least we need to 
examine what is meant by the term before accepting.

> Now XInclude ... and its friends XLink , XPointer that gets a 
> bit closer ...  but I warn you that "the community" has not 
> been that fond of these ... so unless a fundamental 
> comparison and improvement can  be made I dont think there 
> will be much traction.

The thesis of this thread is that the Web is a single application, albeit
composed.  Perhaps the Unix 'application' is analagous.  
In designing such an application, I don't 
invent different ways of doing the same thing, especially where the
function being provided is fundamental to the operation  of the 
application.  Ideally, I apply simple primitive tools, possibly in
combination, as in Unix pipelines, to achieve necessary complexity.

If simple links were available to connect XML resources (with any other
resources), similar to pipes | > etc in unix, standards like XInclude
would probably not be necessary, because transclusion for example,
could be available via @xml:src.

> All that said though, I still am concerned that the entire 
> concept is REST driven,

Yes, it is.  Specifically, hypermedia as the engine of application state.

> which I personally dont see as a 
> lasting model.

REST not lasting? Surely you jest.    The Web has been going for ~20 years
now - I just was looking at the first Web site a few days ago.

> and moved towards JavaScript based 
> applications generating the entire experience (with a tight, 
> not loose, coupling to the backend).

Yes proprietary platforms want to have the tightest possible coupling.

But I believe/hope you're wrong about those platforms winning in the end.


Regards,
Peter

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_layer
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OSI_model#Layer_7:_application_layer

Received on Thursday, 6 June 2013 16:15:10 UTC