Re: What's the problem? "Reuse of 1998 XHTML namespace is potentially misleading/wrong"

Larry Masinter wrote:
>> I think you are needlessly tying ISSUE-60 and ISSUE-4 here. ISSUE-60  
>> requests a change of the XML namespace used by HTML5, to avoid  
>> conflict with XHTML2.
> 
> I am pointing out a way in which the issues are linked: they both
> have to deal with distinguishing languages that share a common
> namespace, and secondly, that a good solution to the versioning
> issue would also deal with the namespace issue.
> 
> By pointing out the link between the two issues, I'm hoping to
> influence the decision on the versioning issue -- choose a versioning
> mechanism that would also deal with the namespace issue.
> 
> So I don't think tying them together is "needless", I'm hoping
> that it will make a positive influence in choosing good
> solution(s) for versioning -- ones that address both issues.
> 
> In particular, I'm hoping to avoid the deadlock where the solution
> to versioning is "use namespaces" and the solution to namespaces
> is "use versioning" and we make no progress on either issue.

Such a deadlock is theoretically possible, but seems rather unlikely.

ISSUE-4 is whether or not HTML5 needs a versioning mechanism; the WHATWG 
position is no.  Those that do feel that there needs to be a versioning 
mechanism (e.g., Microsoft) seem motivated to find a solution that works 
with the HTML serialization of HTML 5.

> Larry

Received on Monday, 16 February 2009 22:36:56 UTC