- From: Dan Connolly <connolly@w3.org>
- Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 13:32:22 -0600
- To: Arjun Ray <aray@q2.net>
- CC: www-html@w3.org
Arjun Ray wrote: > > On Mon, 31 Jan 2000, Christopher Luebcke wrote: > > > my question is why XML (and thus XHTML) was created as > > case-sensitive in the first place (especially if neither SGML or > > HTML share this characteristic). > > Short answer: Unicode. Just to reiterate the answers that have been given, but citing sources... the reason that XHTML mandates lower-case is (a) XHTML documents conform to the XML spec: "A Reformulation of HTML 4 in XML 1.0" -- http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-xhtml1-20000126 aka http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/ (b) XML 1.0 is case sensitive. Why? "This is a summary of points made: ... Internationalization experts are unanimously against folding. ..." -- XML WG decisions of Wed. Sep. 10 http://www.w3.org/XML/9712-reports.html#ID40 So that much rules out <HTML>...</html>; and the only choice left is between <HTML>...</HTML> and <html>...</html>. So then, (c) The HTML WG decided on lower-case. I can't recall exactly when, but I recall that it was discussed extensively in this forum.... It was at least as long ago as Dec '98: "2.3.3 Tags and attributes must be in lower case" -- http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/WD-html-in-xml-19981205/#normative Ah yes... the extensive discussion begins with: XHTML and CASE-SENSITIVITY Daniel Austin (Wed, Feb 24 1999) http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-html/1999Feb/0080.html -- Dan Connolly http://www.w3.org/People/Connolly/
Received on Monday, 31 January 2000 14:34:52 UTC