Re: comments on CSS3 Selectors from XSL Working Group

Daniel Glazman wrote:

>3. Saying "CSS Selectors" implies that "Selectors" are the one and only
>    selecting mechanism for CSS styles in the present but also in the future.

IMO, there's one reason overlooked in the discussion so far why naming
the spec "Selectors" may turn out suboptimal: in verbal communication
due to its generic name.

Example A:
A: "And for picking the elements, we should use Selectors."
B: "Which ones? The ones Frank implemented in our utility lib Selector class?"
A: "No, Selectors."
B: "Huh? The ones using XPATH? Or the ones using Selectors, you know,
those that the CSS working group designed, the CSS working group from
the W3C?"
A: "Yeah, those."
B: "Ok, I see, so you mean CSS Selectors."
A: "No, I mean Selectors, you know, just 'Selectors'!"

Example B:
Boss: "Tom, I think we really should implement Selectors in our XML product."
Worker: "Ok, I'll tell Tom of the Unicode division."
Boss: "No, not Variation Selectors. I mean Selectors, you know, those
selecting the elements."
Worker: "But isn't that the job of the database people? I thought they
are working on those selectors..."
Boss: "NO!!! I mean Selectors, the ones with the capital 'S'!"
Worker: "Ah, ok, I see, you mean the CSS Selectors..." 
(continue as above)

Do you really expect people having to refer to Selectors in verbal
communication as "Selectors with capital 'S'" or "theee Selectors" or
"Selectors from the CSS3 modules"?

David Woolley wrote:
>Please provide a suggestion that achieves
>your goals without referring to CSS, or style sheets.

"QIT Selectors" (pronounced: "quit", for: Quick Inverted T Selectors)
"FIT Selectors" (for: Fast Inverted T Selectors)
"UCSel - Universal Component Selectors" (pronounced: "uccel", alluding
to accelerated)
"USL - Universal Selector Language"
"UNS - Universal Node Selectors"
"Universal Element Selectors"
"GPSL - General Purpose Selector Language"
"Else - Element Selection Language"
"EML - Element Matching Language" (pronounced: "emil")

Regards, Christian.

-- 
Please don't CC list answers to my own email address.
I actually read the lists I post to.

Received on Sunday, 29 January 2006 16:09:04 UTC