[xml/sgml] some thoughts about xml catalogs & a LSB-XML workgroup

[Mark Johnson]

Sean Champ wrote:
> 'Spam fun' aside, I'm not sure how to put this, or how it could be
> applicable upon Debian SGML/XML policy. It's a thought, though:
> 
> 
> There are more 'documentary grammar' formats than the SGML/XML DTD
> 
> 
> Others:
> 
> 1) XML Schemas 
>    - somewhere at http://www.w3.org/ 
> 
> 2) RELAX NG (Compact or {formal?} syntax) 
>     - http://relaxng.org/ should be the URL for it

Hi Sean,

Yes, the above schema types can be registered in the XML catalog system with no 
special modification to the policy.

I think I originally only mentioned DTDs to simplify the doc for the average 
packager. Both SGML/XML policies clearly need to be updated. I'll get to that 
"real soon" :-)

BTW, I've been given approval to form a subworkgroup of LSB to develop an LSB 
module for XML (and also SGML) and to act as chairman of said group. The only
thing holding up the process (as in a press release & membership recruiting) is 
that I'm having trouble (for lack of time) trying to configure the mambo website 
CMS. The workgroup is to be called LSB-XML and has a website here: 
http://lsb-xml.org (also http://lsb-xml-sgml.org).

If anyone can volunteer to help me configure mambo (mainly to change the default 
template so that the site looks more like the LSB[1] or Free Standards[2] site), 
I can get this thing up and running. One of the main issues the group would 
tackle is a sane XML catalog implementation - similar to the Debian 
implementation. Our work products will likely go into both the LSB and the FHS 
standards - at least that's the current plan.

Cheers,
Mark

P.S. I'm about to upload a new version of docbook-xsl that will break the 
docbook-website package. Sorry, but I can't see anyway around this...

[1] http://www.linuxbase.org
[2] http://www.freestandards.org


> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not "posolutely sure", as to what  support there'd be, in the/an
> XML catalogs standard -- support/allowance for: Documentary
> grammar files, not necessarily DTDs; I've not a great amount of time,
> to make this "a reasearch to-do item", here -- might "get to it",
> ever, later.
> 
> 
> 
> One tangential though:
> 
> Something like "an XSD/RNC/... catalog ... system"  would require
> support, in the "user/editing agent", for the configuration data and
> the general procedures, designed for  the catalog system;  such could
> be nifty --  "beyond the DTD", something that would allow for the fact
> that an HTTP connection is not always  feasible, from the host where
> an appliation woud be running, and so, not always can {an XML schema
> file, an RNG file, or what-else} be 'checked', for ensuring "validity
> of the document".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "FYI" - whether this would towards a glossary or else, there are two
> formal terms, sometimes occurring, about XML documents; the W3C,
> somewhere, has normative definitions for these terms, and explanations
> -- probably in the core XML standard; "pardon thelack of refs. here" :
> 
> 
>  1) Well Formed (said of a document / fragment)
>  2) Valid (also said of a document / fragment)
> 
> 
> I don't know the formal definitions of both, but it seems, a
> 'well-formed' document probably has to be 'valid', first; a 'valid'
> document may be not well-formed; a 'valid' (as in compliance with the
> syntax and language-grammars of XML, I suppse) a 'valid' document may
> still be used -- conceivably -- "to whatever extent", regardless of
> whether or not it is, in all, "well formed"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm concerned, either: MSFT (Microsoft - MSFT is their "stock-ticker"
> symbol) has some interest, invested about XML; I don't like MSFT. Some
> discourse, about XML/SGML, in Debian space, remains nonetheless
> feasible.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So, like, "hello, list; this is not spam, for the day"
> 
> 
> ---
> Sean Champ
> 
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> Debian-xml-sgml-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org
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-- 
____________________________________________________________
Mark Johnson      <mrj@debian.org>
Debian XML/SGML:  <http://debian-xml-sgml.alioth.debian.org>
Home Page:        <http://linux.duke.edu/~mark/>
GPG fp: DBEA FA3C C46A 70B5 F120  568B 89D5 4F61 C07D E242