[ubl-ndrsc] XML and Polymorphism

[Matthew Gertner <matthew.gertner@acepoint.cz>]

All,

I haven't been particularly successful in my search for an accessible
description of polymorphism in XML. This may be partly because my
googling (tm) led me quickly to this link:

http://xml.coverpages.org/arch-inherit.html

...which I spent the next hour reading. Yes, there truly are people on
this planet who write even longer and more turgid mails than I do! I
wouldn't recommend that anyone go within 10 miles of this link, unless
they have an intense interest in the philosophical history of XML
inheritance circa 1998. The thread does end with an interesting post by
our very own TC Chair which might be the first official announcement
ever of the existence of a W3C XML Schema effort.

I also rediscovered the existence of a paper by Matt Fuchs entitled
"Role of an Extensible, Polymorphic Schema Language for Electronic
Commerce Communities", which could be useful. I am somewhat familiar
with the paper since he presented it right before my talk at XML 2000,
and I remember being annoyed that the room immediately emptied
(presumably because everyone was too intimated to sit through a talk
with the word "polymorphic" in the title). Unfortunately I couldn't find
the full text of this paper anywhere. Does anyone know someone at the
GCA who could give it to us with permission for reuse and/or who knows
where Dr. Matt is and how he can be contacted?

Otherwise I'll just have to write something myself.

Cheers,
Matt