Re: How to put XML on the Web

Tim Bray wrote:
> 
> Plan C: XML, +H
> 
> The really good thing about HTML is neither its syntax nor its baroque
> ad-hoc display semantics; rather, the value is in the incredibly useful,
> proven-in-action hypertext, multimedia, and interaction semantics of <A>,
> <IMG>, <FORM> and <TABLE>.  For display, I think most XML-capable
> information providers would rather use a stylesheet anyhow.
> 
> Thus plan C.  Instead of a full-feature Web browser, have a miniature XML
> browser that has *no display semantics* other than those from a
> stylesheet... however, it does recognize (either by hardwired GI or
> architecture-like attribute) a small number of semantically loaded useful
> elements from HTML. This could be either a standalone thing, or something
> embedded in your local Netsplorer, that makes use of the browser's hypertext
> semantics and stylesheeting.
> 
> Plan C looks good to me.

Except for forms, that's IADS.  It will work very nicely and is 
easy to use.  Plan C is easy.  Make an interactive stylesheet 
editor for it and keep the styles fairly simple to build with.
Take a look at the IADS stylesheet editor if you want some 
ideas.  It helps if it can suck in a DTD and 
populate the tag tree.  That way, existing DTDs can be 
converted quickly and you get mindshare quick from a 
ready audience.

len

Received on Monday, 24 March 1997 00:22:06 UTC