RE: XHTML/XML comment

> From: www-html-request@w3.org 
> [mailto:www-html-request@w3.org]On Behalf
> Of Murray Altheim
> Christopher Luebcke wrote:
> > 
> > rev-bob@gotc.com wrote:
> > 
> > >>    4.2 Element and attribute names must be in lower case.
> > >
> > > XML is case-sensitive; as a reformulation of HTML in XML 
> syntax, XHTML
> > > must be case-sensitive as well.
> > 
> > [...] why is it case sensitive? 
> 
> I've heard this question and the arguments for several years, and the
> simplest answer is to look at the anglo-centrism of the 
> question itself.

I know. Mea culpa. The question is withdrawn.

> In using Unicode as the basis of XML (probably the only way to provide
> internationalization), we are provided with a different world 
> than ASCII.
> Buy, borrow, or steal a copy of the Unicode standard, pore through it
> for a few minutes and you'll discover something: there are 
> other scripts
> than simply roman. And given that many or most of these scripts don't
> differentiate or have a very different way of representing case, it 
> becomes fairly obvious that XML implementations would need to 
> be quite a
> bit more complicated to handle case mapping correctly, if case mapping
> can even be done correctly in a language-independent way.
> 
> I wish people could find something more interesting to whine 
> about, like
> world hunger or something. Typing <b> instead of <B> is 
> really not worth
> getting upset about. For those who do, perhaps getting a life (or some
> counseling) would be a good idea.

I was merely asking for the background as to why the decision was made,
which I got yesterday. I wasn't whining, wasn't upset, I do have a life
(thanks), and I already use lowercase on all my tags; I just wasn't thinking
about Unicode. And now I will. I promise.

Chris

> 
> Murray
> 
> ..............................................................
> .............
> Murray Altheim, SGML Grease Monkey         
<mailto:altheim&#64;eng.sun.com>
Member of Technical Staff, Tools Development & Support
Sun Microsystems, 901 San Antonio Rd., UMPK17-102, Palo Alto, CA 94303-4900

   the honey bee is sad and cross and wicked as a weasel
   and when she perches on you boss she leaves a little measle -- archy

Received on Tuesday, 1 February 2000 17:06:20 UTC