RE: Images & mouseovers

I think we are mistaking 'don't have to have a DTD' for 'shouldn't have =
a
DTD'.

Although you CAN use XML without a DTD, that doesn't mean it's =
recommended,
best practice or even a good idea.

DTD-less XML can only be checked for well formedness, not for validity =
so
you can type any old cack you like, so long as it's inside <> tags, tag
cases match and your attributes are quoted.

When this reaches someone's backend system, which is expecting an XML =
packet
with a specific structure (a web site order for example, with billing =
and
shipping details, and order item details as I use on one website) it's =
no
use to anyone.

As palavras n=E3o significam nada a menos que voc=EA souber que =
l=EDngua voc=EA est=E1
usando.

Or (for the non Portuguese speakers)

Words mean nothing unless you know what language you are using.

And the DTD lets you know what language someone's XML is speaking and =
if
their grammar is correct.

Well that's my opinion.

Yours,

Mark Stradling

> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Meadows [mailto:david(at)heroes.force9.co.uk]
> Sent: 27 September 2000 00:02
> To: Bryan Bateman; Kynn Bartlett
> Cc: KathyW; hwg-xml(at)hwg.org
> Subject: Re: Images & mouseovers
>=20
>=20
> "Kynn Bartlett" <kynn-hwg(at)idyllmtn.com> wrote:
> >
> > I didn't write a DTD for it; it's pretty ad-hoc.  I don't have a
> > formal schema or anything.  (The cool thing about XML is that
> > you don't have to have a DTD!  Well, not a formal one.)
>=20
> You're sure that's a "cool thing"? You don't think it's more=20
> of an "unwanted
> side effect"?
>=20
> Sorry to play devil's advocate all the time Kynn, but coming=20
> from an SGML
> background I find XML downright sloppy and annoying a lot of the =
time.
>=20
>=20
> --
> David Meadows [ Technical Writer | Information Developer ]
> DNRC Minister for Littorasy * david(at)heroes.force9.co.uk
>=20
> "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books
>  are well written, or badly written. That is all."
>   -- Oscar Wilde
>=20
>=20

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