Re: What are the problems with IDML? (fwd)

Once upon a time Doug Donohoe shaped the electrons to say...
>If I put META in the body of my HTML document, neither Netscape
>nor IE choke (they seem quite complacent about it, as a matter of

That is because neither of them are strictly adherent to the standard.
Netscape doesn't puke if I put <TITLE> in the body either for example.

>fact).  So, what exactly _does_ break when I put
>META inside the BODY?  If 99% of HTML is viewed through these

1. *ANY* SGML based tool that uses the standard DTD.
2. Many editors that aren't SGML bases are smart enough to complain about
that.
3. Several tools such as Weblint will complain about it.

>two browsers, who cares if I put META in the "wrong" place?
>I know SGML or HTML parsers will complain, but what does
>it break in the real world?  E.g., what problems does it cause?

1. HotJava is SGML based.
2. Panorama PRO is SGML based.
3. HoTMetaL PRO is SGML based.

A great number of sites use validators, most of which are SGML based.

There is a group in the W3C working on moving the web towards generic SGML
compliance, so it may not break today, but don't bet on the future.  Any
scheme that violates SGML isn't going to be popular, nor long lived.  I
would simply forbid it completely from Livingston - as Webmaster such is
my choice.  And I have friends are several other major industrial sites
who feel the same way as I.  One or two sites doesn't matter too much,
but it adds up.  Especially when most sites still don't care about this
at all - the average user isn't going to use any indexing at all.  It is
really only a smally number of sites that care about such things.

-MZ
--
Livingston Enterprises - Chair, Department of Interstitial Affairs
Phone: 800-458-9966 510-426-0770 FAX: 510-426-8951 megazone@livingston.com
For support requests: support@livingston.com  <http://www.livingston.com/> 
Snail mail: 6920 Koll Center Parkway  #220, Pleasanton, CA 94566

Received on Friday, 23 August 1996 20:22:01 UTC