- From: Mike Taylor <mike@indexdata.com>
- Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 16:31:41 GMT
- To: bigrat18@hotmail.com
- CC: www-zig@w3.org
> Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 15:09:59 +0100 > From: "Jonathan Rowell" <bigrat18@hotmail.com> > > not wanting to start a flame war the definition is :- ... and not wanting to perpetuate one either, but ... :-) > [Definition:] An XML namespace is a collection of names, identified > by a URI reference [RFC2396], which are used in XML documents as > element types and attribute names. XML namespaces differ from the > "namespaces" conventionally used in computing disciplines in that > the XML version has internal structure and is not, mathematically > speaking, a set. I'm familiar with that definition. The problem is, no-one seems to know what it means. It is at best ambiguous if not actually controversial -- for example, see XML.com's article _Namespace Myths Exploded_ at http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2000/03/08/namespaces/ the introduction of which summarises the many issues rather deftly thus: As long as you don't look too deeply, XML namespaces do their job and do it reasonably well. Of course, many people have looked too deeply. :-) Myths #6 ("An XML namespace has an internal structure") are #8 ("XML namespaces are strongly related to schemas") are particularly ... What's the opposite of enlightening? :-) I don't pretend to understand all the back-and-forthing of this stuff, and you very probably have a deeper understanding of it than I do. But what's clear is that the concept we're trying to capture in the putative "give me an XML record in this schema" request is _not_ talking about getting back records "in a specified namespace" -- if that phrase even means anything. JMHO. _/|_ _______________________________________________________________ /o ) \/ Mike Taylor <mike@indexdata.com> http://www.miketaylor.org.uk )_v__/\ "It seems to be the word on the street that Hypsilophodontidae is paraphyletic" -- Pete Buchholz. -- Listen to my wife's new CD of kids' music, _Child's Play_, at http://www.pipedreaming.org.uk/childsplay/
Received on Wednesday, 26 March 2003 11:32:06 UTC