Re: [xtm-wg] XTM-ISS Mergemaps and relationship to XML Include

[Murray Altheim <murray.altheim@eng.sun.com>]

Kal Ahmed wrote:
> 
> Daniel,
> 
> My reading of the XML Include spec is that an application sitting above the
> XML Include layer receives a single info-set formed by a merging of the
> document infoset and the included infoset(s). Note that this is a merging of
> XML infosets and not a merging of topic map constructs. My suggestion was
> that by using XML Include for specifying which topic maps to merge, it would
> allow application developers to rely on the XML Include-aware parser to
> provide them with a single infoset which could then be parsed for topic map
> constructs (with merging of topics as appropriate).
> 
> However, that suggestion does overlook the potential size of topic maps and
> in the discussions which produced Ontopia's comments on tmdtd-00-09-25.txt
> (http://www.egroups.com/files/xtm-wg/Interchange/XTM+-+The+Ontopia+Comments.
> htm), we looked at the different ways of specifying what topic maps should
> be merged. My feeling is that *when* the merging takes place, should be
> application-specific and that using XML Include might force applications to
> parse alot of data unnecessarily, so in balance, perhaps use of XML Include
> is not such a good idea.

My difficulty with XInclude stems from several factors. The W3C hasn't
charted the overall processing scheme for XML very well, such that it
is only recently that we were even provided info on *when* an XInclude
occurs. Secondly (and more importantly), I don't expect that all XML
implementations will include XInclude support (especially since it may
be a long time prior to W3C Recommendation), and I'd prefer that XTM
Topic Maps be more generically functional. 

I do agree that merging is probably application-specific, and I also
side with Steve's view that this should not be a Version 1.0 feature.
We've got enough on our plate right now that I'm very concerned that
we will not make our December deadline. We still need to consider the
RDF question, which politically I take as a highest priority.

Murray

...........................................................................
Murray Altheim, SGML/XML Grease Monkey     <mailto:altheim&#64;eng.sun.com>
XML Technology Center
Sun Microsystems, 1601 Willow Rd., MS UMPK17-102, Menlo Park, CA 94025

      In the evening
      The rice leaves in the garden
      Rustle in the autumn wind
      That blows through my reed hut.  -- Minamoto no Tsunenobu

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