Re: Library Standards and URIs

At 10:21 PM 12/29/94, Terry Allen wrote:
>Larry writes:
>>Just as HTML doesn't require all browsers to implement all of SGML,
>but allows SGML-based tools to be used on HTML documents, we could use
>SGML syntax, but require that a 'URC' be in some canonical form, to
>facilitate easier handling by simpler tools.
>
>I say again, this won't work if the "canonical form" cannot be
>expressed in a DTD and SGML declaration.  "Using SGML syntax" means just
>that, or it doesn't mean very much at all.  Michael
>Sperberg-McQueen has outlined the desirable SGML toggles for
>achieving simplicity:
>
>http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/IT94/Proceedings/Autools/sperberg-mcqueen/sper
>berg.html
>
>I strongly recommend it.
>
I would agree that if we are to use an SGML approach, that does mean we
have a DTD.  I think Larry's point is well taken, and does fit with the
proposal of Michael Sperberg-McQueen, which calls for server-side
validation of SGML.  In the same manner, we could require that the URN
resolution server only serve up valid URCs, which have been checked with a
full-blown SGML parser at load time.

I want to also add a side comment to the Sperberg-McQueen paper.  A URC
could be used to associate a DTD and style sheet with an SGML document, as
opposed to doing this with HTTP.  This would make his proposal protocol
independent, or perhaps URN/URC resolution dependent.

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Dirk Herr-Hoyman <hoymand@gate.net> |          I tried to contain myself
CyberBeach Publishing               |                                but
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Received on Thursday, 29 December 1994 20:11:16 UTC