Re: Generic Markup

Alan Karben writes in <2.2.32.19960813192354.00839fd0@pop.dowjones.com>:
>Some interesting questions are: Will a desire to take full advantage of css
>lead more publishers to adopt SGML authoring systems? Once they have them,
>will end-to-end Generic Markup Solutions convince them to send out the 
Smart
>Stuff as well, instead of just diluting and dumbing down?
>
>Not if all both approaches offer are just two different ways to make
>documents look pretty. Those who author content using tags and attributes
>that add intelligence to their documents will probably never hit a
>formatting brick wall with a style sheet language built around 'one
>attribute SGML':
>        <div class="FrontSection">
>                <div class="EconomyPage">
>                        <div class="Summary">
>                                <p>Greenspan announced ...
>
>Generic Markup Solutions for browsers won't be useful if the competition
>centers around just how content looks. Generic Markup's strengths lie in 
how
>readers -- and not just authors -- could make that content act.

Most Web users already use automatic processing of HTML -- that is what 
powers AltaVista, HotBot, etc.  Since Generic Markup Solutions (like SGML) 
enable easier and more comprehensive automatic processing, IMHO I expect 
SGML (or a lite subset) to eventually take over from HTML -- the advantages 
are just too great.  There is just too much information out there to _not_ 
be processing it automatically.
======================================================================
Mark Leighton Fisher                   Thomson Consumer Electronics
fisherm@indy.tce.com                   Indianapolis, IN

Received on Thursday, 15 August 1996 20:51:39 UTC