Re: XML catalog draft

lee@sq.com writes:
>> I raised this in the catalog group, and
>> we agreed that it was outside of our mandate and did not bother to discuss it
>> further.  Some of us felt that it was something that the ERB should
>> add when they integrate the catalog proposal with the XML spec.
>
>Then I hope the ERB sends you all back to the drawing board.
>What is the catalog _for_?  It is for turning a PUBLIC ID into a SYSTEM ID.
>That is _all_ it is for.   You now have to solve the problem of finding
>the CATALOG in the first place, or you have not solved the required
>problem.

I really have no problem at all with your accurate statement of the need
for a resolution mechanism. But I must ask the question 'What is XML
_for_?' in the same way you do, as we aren't trying to solve all the
world's problems here, simply come up with a simplified subset of SGML
called XML. There are a lot of thorny problems that XML may force to a
head, but within the XML specification(s) I don't believe it appropriate to
try to force resolution of this issue or of entity resolution in general.

I do agree that the market will solve this (hopefully soon), as the need is
obviously there. And it may be an XML application that points the way. This
isn't a matter of passing the buck; it's simply outside the mandate for
XML.

Murray

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
    Murray Altheim, Program Manager
    Spyglass, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
    email: <mailto:murray@spyglass.com>
    http:  <http://www.cm.spyglass.com/murray/murray.html>
           "Give a monkey the tools and he'll eventually build a typewriter."

Received on Friday, 7 February 1997 18:25:17 UTC