Re: namespaces include their name => 1-1

> For example, the definition for the namespace of XSLT at
> http://www.w3.org/TR/xslt#xslt-namespace says:

That document defines the XSLT language. namespaces as such don't have
any definition.

<a href="mailto:masinter@attlabs.att.com"/>

is a conforming namespace document that consists of an element with
local name a and namespace name mailto:masinter@attlabs.att.com
(It is implied, but the namespace spec doesn't say, that I shouldn't
use that, but you may.)

> This means that there are many URIs that are *inappropriate*
> for use as namespace names, because they don't actually match the
> namespace name given in the namespace definition.

Since the namespace rec does not introduce any notion of defining
namespaces, I don't know where you got this statement from.
It is not how namespaces work.

> No other URI is appropriate for using with the XSLT namespace -- 
> not even http://WWW.W3.ORG/1999/XSL/Transform (which differs
> only by the case of the host name).

That is true, but the namespace spec _explictly_ mentions that
URI which differ by case and would retrieve the same resource
are different namespace names, so
http://WWW.W3.ORG/1999/XSL/Transform
is a perfectly valid namespace name, it just isn't the XSLT namespace.

> Consider the following algorithm for definining a namespace:

The algorithm for picking a namespace name is already defined, and it
isn't that, it is: take a valid URI reference. It is proposed
by some people (an influential minority, as far as I can see)
to change that to: take a valid "absolute URI + fragment id"
But in neither case does it involve "defining" anything.

> Using "http://WWW.W3.ORG/1999/XSL/Transform" as a namespace name is
> just an error. Don't do it.

On the contrary it is explictly endorsed as legal by the namespace rec
to have two namespace names differing only by case. 

David

Received on Friday, 2 June 2000 14:18:53 UTC