Re: Doctypes, Declarations, and HTML Versions

> :  The document type declaration names the document type definition (DTD)
> :  in use for the document (see [ISO8879]). 
> 
> Unfortunately, this statement - as an assertion about naming - has *no*
> basis in ISO8879.  Moreover, in the relatively obvious semantic intent, it
> is flat out wrong. 

This is exteremly correct.

> Of course, this leaves open the real issue, which is how to convey the
> *semantic* import of a version specification.  Unofrtunately, ISO8879
> doesn't provide a way.  All we know is that the doctype declaration
> definitely does not qualify.

Last year I suggested durring the ``Future of HTML'' discussions, that the
W3C adopt an HTML Architecture.  This would actually provide semantics for
HTML in a standard way.  Instead the W3C has choosen to develop XHTML as
an XML implementation.  I actally haven't looked at the XHTML specs yet,
so I don't know whether it resolves these issues or not.

>  <URL:http://www.deja.com/=dnc/getdoc.xp?AN=325927738>
I also want to provide this reference.  Everyone should read it.
Also available at
<http://www.syntext.com/topics/sgml/kimber1.html>
and most specifically as
<news:34E9CBC9.401B6BB0@isogen.com>

-- 
Russell O'Connor                           roconnor@uwaterloo.ca
       <http://www.undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca/~roconnor/>
``And truth irreversibly destroys the meaning of its own message''
-- Anindita Dutta, ``The Paradox of Truth, the Truth of Entropy''

Received on Saturday, 2 October 1999 15:49:42 UTC