RE: The problems with namespaces in text/html (Was: MathML-in-HTML5)

> I do not believe any of the people proposing that HTML should include
some variant of Math markup are suggesting that MathML in XML should in
any way be changed.

I don't want to beat a did horse, but I hope it is clear that most
(all?) of the people are saying that MathML shouldn't be changed for
*HTML5*.  MathML authoring tools should not care about whether the
target is XHTML, Mathematica, ODF, DocBook, Word, or HTML5.  The
authoring app generates MathML.  If HTML5 makes changes to MathML, then
the result is not MathML and is not compatible with the 100 hundred
existing MathML applications.  The current WHATWG spec mentions
compatibility many times.  Why abandon compatibility with MathML?

On the topic of namespaces, clearly there are tons of improper usages of
namespaces.  However, none of that applies to MathML.  Since (as I
understand it), HTML5 is defining what should happen in various
scenarios, and this includes namespaces, what is the problem with saying
that HTML5 ignores namespaces except for namespaces used with MathML (or
SVG, or name your favorite XML-based HTML5 addition to HTML4)?

Neil Soiffer
Senior Scientist
Design Science, Inc.
neils@dessci.com
www.dessci.com
~ Makers of Equation Editor, MathType, MathPlayer and MathFlow ~

Received on Tuesday, 10 October 2006 18:45:44 UTC