Re: FW: XML Query WG Feedback on Sept WD of Namespaces in XML 1.1

Kay, Michael wrote:

> At some stage we need to invert this whole edifice: the InfoSet data model
> should be the primary specification, and the XML and Namespaces specs
> (hopefully merged) should merely describe one possible interface for
> creating an InfoSet.

I entirely disagree.  The normative definition of XML is and should 
remain syntactic.  Merging the infoset into the XML spec is a good idea, 
but only to provide clarity as to what information in an instance is in 
principle available to software.

It MUST remain the case in future that when one party says to another 
"I'm going to give you XML", the receiving party can count on a stream 
of self-descriptive Unicode characters, not some fragile undocumented 
short-lived binary gibberish that is claimed to conform to the infoset, 
but you have to buy some proprietary software module to see that. -Tim

Received on Thursday, 5 December 2002 10:38:57 UTC