XML Got It Wrong (was Re: [jdom-interest] getMixedContent -> getContent)

[guru at stinky.com]

On Wed, Jun 27, 2001 at 10:13:27PM -0400, Amy Lewis wrote:
> 
> This is one of those places where I think the infoset and various
> specifications just got it wrong.

I agree.  IMHO, the XML spec started to go wrong as soon as they added
attributes.  :-)

Actually, I take that back: XML started to go wrong as soon as they
added close-tags.  Requiring the name of the open-tag to be inside the
close-tag as well precluded a context-free grammar.

Other things wrong with XML: DTDs, Namespaces (the implementation, not
the idea, which was fine, but what would have been the problem with

<?namespace name="foo" uri="http://www.foo.com/foo/"?>
<bar>
 <foo:baz/>
</bar>

instead of mangling the definition of attributes *and* embedding a
value inside the name *and* overloading the colon token with

<bar xmlns:foo="http://www.foo.com/foo/">
 <foo:baz/>
</bar> 

), and so forth.

 - Alex "I'll rant until they change the spec!" Chaffee


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