Re: SGML SHORTTAGS Feature usage in HTML 4.x Recommendation.

On Tue, 12 Nov 2002, Terje Bless wrote:

> 
> Mssrs.,
> 
> in attempting to modify the W3C MarkUp Validator to more reliably detect
> and report more forms of erroneous and invalid HTML, it's been brought and
> has come to my attention that the SGML Declaration included with the HTML
> 4.01 Recommendation appears to be at odds with both the prose of that
> Recommendation and the majority of User Agent implementations.

May I add my strong support to Terje's comments.  The SHORTTAGS
issue gives rise to numerous bug reports for the validator
(because users assume SHORTTAGS should be reported as an error).
Other validation services, including those at www.htmlhelp.com
and valet.webthing.com, deal with this by offering users
different options, but this approach is problematic because
few users understand the issue.

> Other parts of the SGML Declaration might also benefit from a review in
> light of intent, implementations, and current practice in SGML; but these
> are the issues we register that authors struggle with most often

I think there is one issue here that Terje has overlooked:
namely the issue of characters 128-159 in the DESCSET.
The unsatisfactory status of these (and inconsistent practice
concerning them) is both a validation FAQ and a source of
problems on the Web at large.


-- 
Nick Kew