URIs for "xml" and "xmlns" prefixes?

The namespace spec states that there are two "implicitly declared"
namespace prefixes, "xml" and "xmlns".  But it doesn't give their
associated URIs, as needed for uniformity within implementations.

It should state what the associated URIs are ... I'd propose that the
URI for the "xml" namespace be that of the XML spec itself, and that
for the "xmlns" namespace it be the namespace draft.

Some attention should also be paid to these and related issues:

    - Assume a prefix declared to use the same URI as "xmlns";
      for discussion, say "declare-namespace".  Shouldn't
      "declare-namespace:foo='some-uri'" attributes declare a
      prefix "foo"?  And shouldn't "declare-namespace='some-uri'"
      define the default namespace in the current scope?
    
    - Same assumption; shouldn't "declare-namespace:xmlns='some-uri'"
      redefine (within scope) what the "xmlns" prefix represents?
      Similarly with "declare-namespace:xml='some-uri'", applying
      to "xml:space", "xml:lang", and so forth.

One way of looking at those is whether "xml" and "xmlns" are to be
treated as keywords (ideally, not) or prefixes which, like any other,
can be used as appropriate for the task at hand (preferable).

The current draft is inconsistent on such issues; it's written as
if those are keywords, but says that those prefixes are "declared",
implying the more consistent and general treatment. 

- Dave

Received on Tuesday, 25 August 1998 12:41:19 UTC