Re: Digest of Tim's mail
Murray Maloney <murray@oclc.org>
Date: Tue, 5 Jul 94 15:28:50 EDT
Message-id: <9407051346.aa11481@dali.scocan.sco.COM>
Reply-To: html-ig@oclc.org
Originator: html-ig@oclc.org
Sender: html-ig@oclc.org
Precedence: bulk
From: Murray Maloney <murray@oclc.org>
To: Multiple recipients of list <html-ig@oclc.org>
Subject: Re: Digest of Tim's mail
X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas
X-Comment: HTML Implementation Group (Private)
Tim Berners-Lee writes:
>
> I would like any feedback on the first as soon as possible.
> _______________________________________________________________
>
> Who would be able to come to meetings at the next IETF
> in Toronto July 25-29?
How convenient! Just tell me where and I'll be there.
========================================
>
> Use this space for free expression of your feelings:
>
Like Dan, I am confused by the seemingly sudden need to
go to the IETF with this work, but I can see some of the
advantages in doing so.
========================================
In some respects, it doesn't really matter much
how the spec is packaged, since we are using hypertext.
It could organized as Dan has suggested or as Tim has.
I think that Dan just wants to ensure that there
is no confusion between normative text and descriptive
or exemplary text. Having worked on the SGML Handbook
for Yuri and Dr Goldfarb, I could see that there would have
been definite advantages to having that book published
at the same time or in advance of the actual standard.
It behooves us not to publish a standard that confuses
or misleads as much as it informs and educates.
========================================
SCO is one organization which would hope to be able
to either publish the specification for HTML (2.0 and beyond)
or be able to refer to it easily enough. Unfortunately,
it may be insufficient for us to point to an Internet URL,
as not all of our customers will have access to the Internet.
As a fellow member of the Davenport group (HaL is also),
I would appreciate the ability to interchange this standard
in the DocBook DTD format. This is not a MUST for SCO,
but it would definitely make it convenient.
========================================
I won't reply in full to your comments on NETASCII and
the use of control characters right now, except to say
that this is definitely something that we will have to
discuss further. I have already submitted revised
versions of all of the parts of the HTML 2.0 spec
which dealt with character sets and control characters.
========================================
There are potentially two contexts in which the HTML spec
could be taken. One is the specification of an SGML DTD,
which must, by rights, follow the rules of SGML itself.
Then there is the specification of a markup language
which can be used by WWW browsers. It seems that there
is a divergence of opinion, in some quarters, as to whether
these two are inexorably linked. While I have opinions
on that question, I do not have as big a stake as CERN
or NCSA in this question. Nonetheless, I think it does
need to resolved soon so that we can all understand the
philosophical underpinnings of the system and move on
from there.
===========================================================================
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Murray C. Maloney Internet: murray@sco.com
Technical Publications Architect Uucp: ...uunet!sco!murray
SCO Canada, Inc. My Phone: (416) 960-4031
130 Bloor Street West, 10th Floor Fax: (416) 922-2704
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1N5 SCO Phone: (416) 922-1937
===========================================================================