Re: public/catalog [was: Re: ERB Decisions of March 26th]

Let me say it another way.  User agents should not be required to
support catalogues *or any other mechanism specified by XML*
to resolve public identifiers.  There should be *no default
assumed* by publishers.  That's hard to swallow, and most of 
this group is choking on it; ask yourselves whether you need
a specified default mechanism to find a copy of Moby Dick;
ask yourselves whether, had Melville's publisher specified a
default mechanism (e.g., writing to the publisher's address),
you should have to follow it today.

Regards, Terry

From w3c-sgml-wg-request@w3.org Sat Mar 29 14:48:42 1997
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From: Paul Prescod <papresco@calum.csclub.uwaterloo.ca>
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Terry Allen wrote:
> 
> I am unwilling to specify any default resolution mechanism
> for PUBLIC identifiers.  This should be at the discretion of
> the user agent.  

Default means "at the discretion of the user agent, as long as they
support at least *this*." There is no dichtomy between default and
freedom.

> (And by resolution I mean what Peter does,
> figuring out the indirection and obtaining the item.)  One
> can say that a catalogue is the publisher's advice on how
> to resolve his PIs, but the client should not be restricted
> to that method.  

If we meant that the client should be restricted, we would not use the
word "default", we would use the word "exclusive."

 Paul Prescod

Received on Saturday, 29 March 1997 18:10:13 UTC