C and other non "standard" DOM language bindings

The DOM working group early on decided to only "officially" support
ECMAScript and Java language bindings for the API. The idea at the time was
to encourage people who developed DOM bindings for Perl, C++,C, Python, etc.
to submit them as W3C Notes that the DOM spec could link to, if not
officially endorse, thus encouraging a certain amount of standardization in
the other language bindings.

I don't think this has happened ... has it?  Is there some way of promoting
interoperability for DOM applications written in languages other than Java
and ECMAScript that I'm not aware of, or is more of a "first mover"
situtation where the first to publish sets the de-facto standard?  For
example, are there any published DOM COM bindings other than Microsoft's,
and do other implementations (Netscape used COM at one point) interoperate
with MS's?

Getting to my main  point ... I'm wondering about C language bindings for
the DOM.  I know that Oracle has published one ... and the XML C Library for
Gnome is DOM-like, but not really an attempt to be a complete,
vendor-neutral C DOM binding as far as I can tell.  Are there any others?
Assuming that Oracle's is the most complete, devoid of proprietary
dependencies (I don't see any ...)  and DOM-like, have you folks considering
submitting it as a W3C Note to give it some quasi-standard status?    Or if
not, is anyone interested in collaborating on some sort of effort to adapt
the DOM (Level 2, I guess) API to C in an open, portable manner and do
whatever we can do to get it publicized as the quasi-official DOM C binding?

I'd be very happy to simply accept Oracle's API here (or Gnome's, if it
really is a complete DOM binding that doesn't depend on other Gnome stuff),
but it would be nice to somehow wrap it in the mantle of the W3C in order to
encourage people to stick with a common binding rather than having everyone
roll their own.

Thoughts or suggestions, anyone?

Mike Champion

Received on Friday, 25 August 2000 10:45:41 UTC