Re: [dita] Element Type Names Don't Matter--Class Is Everything

[Don Day <dond@us.ibm.com>]

Eliot Kimber <ekimber@innodata-isogen.com> wrote on 08/04/2004 10:38:27 AM:

> Thus as long as a processor can reliably distinguish DITA documents from
> non-DITA documents and as long as it can reliably find the DITA-specific
> class attribute, it can reliably apply DITA processing to those
> documents that contain DITA elements (and not attempt it for those
> elements that are not DITA elements) irrespective of the namespace
> qualifications of the element types.

At the document level, I can see this.  But if DITA content is to be used within other doctype content (say, using the syntax diagram subset within DocBook's jrefentry), it still needs to be namespaced at the element level in order to accomodate that content within the host document's element-based declarations.  I'm not arguing FOR namespacing at the element level, just looking at implications of the proposal.  Would such accomodation not be the "content borrower's" problem, rather than the TC's problem?  Practices vs architectures... the pain of implementations.  Does class-based specialization imply that the W3C namespace recommendation inadequately covers the case of DITA class-typed info mixed with other element-typed info?

Regards,
--
Don Day <dond@us.ibm.com>
Chair, OASIS DITA Technical Committee
IBM Lead DITA Architect
11501 Burnet Rd., MS 9037D018, Austin TX 78758
Ph. 512-838-8550 (T/L 678-8550)

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