New text for Namespaces 2.0

I would propose that we eliminate a lot of the confusion
surrounding namespaces by replacing the definition of a
namespace name by the following:

"The attribute's value is the namespace name identifying the
namespace.   It must have the form of a URI reference,
although for the purposes of this specification the
namespace name is treated as an uninterpreted character
string.   Other specifications and applications may choose
to attach their own interpretations to the namespace name
and to place additional requirements on its form or
interpretation.  (URI references are used in this context
because they allow such additional interpretations.)

Namespace names should be chosen so as to be unique.   That
is, the author of a namespace should choose a namespace name
that one can assume with some confidence will not be used by
anyone else to denote a different namespace."

I suggested this in a message to David Carlisle but I think
it's worth looking at independently.   As far as I know it's
completely consistent with the existing specification, but
provides a different way of looking at what is there.

There's a separate substantive issue of whether URNs might
be better for this purpose; the namespace spec even hints at
this possibility.

Paul Abrahams

Received on Tuesday, 6 June 2000 14:59:44 UTC