Re: XBL Namespace uses the data: scheme

Ian Hickson wrote
> On Thu, 29 Jun 2006, Paul Prescod wrote:
>> Without making the argument myself, I'll point you to some relevant 
>> information:

> The document in question is specific to URIs that are being used as 
> _resource_ identifiers, not as namespace identifiers. The primary use of  
> anamespace URI is not to be dereferenced, it is to uniquely identify a  
> setof elements. So the concerns on that page are at most secondary here.
>
> The single most important criteria for a namespace name is to have it be 
> memorable. I've received complaints from authors that the XHTML namespace 
> is too hard to remember. I've also received requests from authors that I 
> ensure that the XBL namespace is not "as bad as the XHTML one".

Your first paragraph belies the second one - the single most important  
feature of a namespace is that it is a unique identifier. "I have received  
complaints" is a statement that applies to almost any situation or  
permutation - I have a complaint for almost any approach to namespaces.

The current data: URI is ludicrously non-mnemonic, and choosing a more  
useful one could be achieved even with the constraint of having to include  
two years and a colour name. THe fact that the URI can readily be dealt  
with in practice shows that it is possible for people who don't have an  
excellent memory for long apparently meaningless strings, which I suggest  
is further evidence that memorability isn't actually the most important  
characteristic.

That said, it is useful. w3.org/2006/xbl is, IMHO memorable enough - the  
difficulty I find in hand-writing namespaces is in fact remembering  
whether the thing ends with a slash or not - which is why I automate the  
process of adding namespaces even when I am totally hand-editing (which is  
rare enough in itself).

cheers

Chaals

-- 
   Charles McCathieNevile, Opera Software: Standards Group
   hablo español  -  je parle français  -  jeg lærer norsk
chaals@opera.com          Try Opera 9 now! http://opera.com

Received on Friday, 30 June 2006 09:27:20 UTC