Re: HTML should not be a file format, but an output format

BruceLeban@aol.com wrote:
> Of course, Globetrotter writes HTML right now because that's what the web
> uses, but if the web were to change overnight to a new language,
> Globetrotter users would just republish (as easy as reprinting a
> document) and go. (After of course upgrading to the new version of
> Globetrotter that writes the new output format.)

And what about in the meantime? What if I decide not to upgrade to the
new version, or if Akimbo goes out of business? Is my data stored in an
open, ASCII-based format like XML or SGML, or in something proprietary
and binary that I will not be able to work with?

Your product would also be more impressive if it produced valid HTML.

http://www.akimbo.com/globetrotter/docs/philosophy.html

E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:11:14:E: there is no
attribute "BGCOLOR"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:13:9:E: there is no
attribute "ALIGN"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:14:11:E: there is no
attribute "SIZE"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:14:12:E: element "FONT"
undefined
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:15:37:E: there is no
attribute "WIDTH"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:15:48:E: there is no
attribute "HEIGHT"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:15:58:E: there is no
attribute "BORDER"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:17:43:E: there is no
attribute "WIDTH"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:17:54:E: there is no
attribute "HEIGHT"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:17:64:E: there is no
attribute "BORDER"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:20:13:E: there is no
attribute "WIDTH"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:20:16:E: character "%"
not allowed in attribute specification list
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:20:16:E: element "TABLE"
undefined
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:21:11:E: there is no
attribute "WIDTH"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:21:13:E: character "%"
not allowed in attribute specification list
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:21:13:E: element "COL"
undefined
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:21:26:E: there is no
attribute "WIDTH"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:21:28:E: character "%"
not allowed in attribute specification list
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:21:28:E: element "COL"
undefined
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:21:41:E: there is no
attribute "WIDTH"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:21:43:E: character "%"
not allowed in attribute specification list
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:21:43:E: element "COL"
undefined
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:22:3:E: element "TR"
undefined
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:23:10:E: there is no
attribute "WIDTH"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:23:12:E: character "%"
not allowed in attribute specification list
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:23:12:E: element "TD"
undefined
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:25:39:E: there is no
attribute "WIDTH"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:25:50:E: there is no
attribute "HEIGHT"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:25:61:E: there is no
attribute "BORDER"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:27:10:E: there is no
attribute "WIDTH"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:27:12:E: character "%"
not allowed in attribute specification list
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:27:12:E: element "TD"
undefined
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:28:11:E: there is no
attribute "SIZE"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:28:12:E: element "FONT"
undefined
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:30:10:E: there is no
attribute "WIDTH"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:30:12:E: character "%"
not allowed in attribute specification list
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:30:12:E: element "TD"
undefined
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:31:11:E: there is no
attribute "SIZE"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:31:12:E: element "FONT"
undefined
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:88:10:E: there is no
attribute "CLEAR"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:90:11:E: there is no
attribute "SIZE"
E:\PROJECTS\JADE\BIN\JADE.EXE:c:\temp\test.html:90:12:E: element "FONT"
undefined

Here's a hint as to the problem:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML 2.0//EN">

Adobe and Claris may hand code their sites (according to your home page)
because quickly written WYSIWYG HTML editors cannot be counted upon to
generate correct HTML.

 Paul Prescod

Received on Saturday, 22 March 1997 19:03:16 UTC