Minor inaccuracy - C.1 of XHTML

In Appendix C (which I realize is merely informative), section C.1,
Processing Instructions states:

Be aware that processing instructions are rendered on some user agents.
However, also note that when the XML declaration is not included in a
document, the document can only use the default character encodings UTF-8
or UTF-16.

This seems to be confusing the XML Declaration with processing
instructions.  The XML declaration is _not_ a processing instruction - it
is described with its own set of productions and has none of the
flexibility of processing instructions.

There is an easy solution to this minor issue.  Rename C.1 "The XML
Declaration" and change the clause "Be aware that processing instructions
are rendered" to "Be aware that XML declarations are rendered".  Then add a
separate section (C.14, or somewhere in the middle) that restates this for
PIs.  Alternatively, change all occurrences of 'Processing Instructions' in
this section to 'Processing Instructions and XML Declarations'.

Simon St.Laurent
XML: A Primer (2nd Ed - September)
Building XML Applications
Inside XML DTDs: Scientific and Technical
Sharing Bandwidth / Cookies
http://www.simonstl.com

Received on Friday, 24 September 1999 03:46:34 UTC