RE: [docbook] Rename firstname and surname?

["Peter Ring" <PRI@magnus.dk>]

Makes sense to me. After all, personal names are not unique to DocBook, and DocBook is used globally.

Personal names are actually immensely complex (as are postal addresses). Even without delving into epistemological investigations into rigid designators etc.

A glimpse of the complexity:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_name

Besides RDF-savy bloggers and librarians, the news industry also feels the need to address personal names in a globally applicable way. E.g. see this discussion:

  http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/newsml-g2/message/238  

kind regards
Peter Ring

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Norman Walsh [mailto:ndw@nwalsh.com]
> Sent: 9. august 2007 15:16
> To: docbook@lists.oasis-open.org
> Subject: [docbook] Rename firstname and surname?
> 
> 
> Hi folks,
> 
> I've now received (at least) two separate suggestions that we rename
> firstname to givenname and surname to familyname. Most recently, here:
> 
> http://norman.walsh.name/2007/05/23/docbook50CR4#comment0001
> 
> If there's community support for this, V5.0 is the time to do it.
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
>                                         Be seeing you,
>                                           norm
> 
> -- 
> Norman Walsh <ndw@nwalsh.com>      | We cannot put off living until we
> http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/ | are ready. The most salient
> Chair, DocBook Technical Committee | characteristic of life is its
>                                    | coerciveness: it is 
> always urgent,
>                                    | 'here and now' without any
>                                    | possible postponement. Life is
>                                    | fired at us point blank.--José
>                                    | Ortega Y Gasset
>