Re: text/html for xml extensions of XHTML

On Wed, 2 May 2001, Aaron Swartz wrote:
>>>
>>> I have an HTML document that is well-formed XML. I want it to be read by my
>>> grandma who runs Netscape 3.0. I must send it as text/html so that she can
>>> read it with Netscape's HTML parser. Netscape 7.0, which understands XML
>>> just fine, realizes that my document is XML and thus parses it with its XML
>>> parser. Everybody wins. Where is the issue, Ian?
>>
>> In the case you describe, you would not be able to tell the difference
>> between Netscape 7.0 handling the document as text/html, and Netscape 7.0
>> handling the document as text/xml.
>
> Then I think that Netscape 7.0 is broken, since it should throw an error if
> my page is not well-formed XML.

You *specifically* said that the document in question was well-formed:

>>> I have an HTML document that is well-formed XML.

Is this hypothetical document well-formed, or not?


>> So clearly that is not the case you care about.
>
> Actually it is. Others care about MathML, which I will also defend.
> Assuming that I included MathML in this HTML document, would you have
> a problem with the above scenario?

Yes; in my opinion there is very little point in sending MathML to
Netscape 3.0. If you want to support older UAs, then use <sup>, <sub> and
tables for the equations. Otherwise you will have dataloss -- your grandma
won't be able to tell what you equations are doing.

-- 
Ian Hickson                                            )\     _. - ._.)   fL
Invited Expert, CSS Working Group                     /. `- '  (  `--'
The views expressed in this message are strictly      `- , ) -  > ) \
personal and not those of Netscape or Mozilla. ________ (.' \) (.' -' ______

Received on Thursday, 3 May 2001 00:38:14 UTC