Re: [XHTMLMOD] all PE names need world-unique prefixes

Steven Pemberton wrote:
> 
> > From: Dan Connolly <connolly@w3.org>
> > To: www-html-editor@w3.org
> > CC: chris@w3.org
> > Subject: all PE names need world-unique prefixes
> > Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2000 15:39:34 -0500
> > Message-ID: <3981EF86.988A70A2@w3.org>
> >
> > In order to avoid collisions when modules are
> > combined, all PE names need world-unique prefixes
[...]

> However, we do think that this issue has been sufficiently addressed in the
> current draft, namely in section D.1. "Parameter Entity Naming".

I don't see such a section in
http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml-modularization/Overview.html#toc

oh... I see:
http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/Group/2000/PR-xhtml-modularization-20000705/dtd_module_rules.html#s_dtdrules_PEs

> In
> particular, it states
> "Regardless of the scheme used, module authors should strive to ensure that
> parameter entities they define are named uniquely so that they do not
> collide with other parameter entities and so that the interface methods for
> the module are obvious to its users."
> 
> We believe that (using the flag in the ground method) that we have fulfilled
> this with out current parameter entity names.

I'm not sure I understand... "flag in the ground method"?
If you're alluding to the practice where explorers put
a flag in the ground to claim some territory, that analogy
works quite nicely for domain names or URIs in general: once
I put a flag in the ground at exmple.org by registering
the domain, everybody else can see the flag, and nobody
else can put a flag there.

But PE names in the very modules provided by the XHTML
modularization spec don't include domain names.

I don't see how "title.element" serves as a stake in
the ground; it suggests to me that I can choose
a parameter entity name such as
	item.element
and that any of my peers may, as well, at which
point our modules cannot be combined without
collisions.

In fact, the example you give in the 20000705 draft:

	<!ENTITY % Inventory.prefixed "%NS.prefixed;" >

uses a prefix Inventory.  that any number of authors
and organizations are likely to choose without
knowing that somebody else has chosen it.
This clearly doesn't scale.


p.s. is there some reason you don't copy www-html-editor?
That's the forum indicated in the status section of the spec.
I would think it's a lot easier to audit the last call
comments if you can just look at the www-html-editor archive
and check that there's a reply to each message, and
check the end of the thread to see the status of the issue
(satisfied/not satisfied).

-- 
Dan Connolly, W3C http://www.w3.org/People/Connolly/

Received on Wednesday, 9 August 2000 10:17:35 UTC