MSXML happening for a reason !

[Dan Morrison <dman at es dot co dot nz>]

Pawson, David wrote:

> If I'm producing HTML and want to view it, I use a
> browser. If I point my browser by mistake at an XML
> document, nine times out of ten it fails to show anyway,
> so whats the point of viewing source when the styled
> version is there to be checked out?

Sorry, but I think this is the wrong angle to take.
Personally I am committed to the alternate model :

Here is the data,
Here is how I expect you to view it.

It then comes under the control of the client (which isn't always a
browser) if they choose to parse it to your graphic layout.

Also there's the network advantages, A well behaved 'browser' (read http
request client) loads a stylesheet (XSL) once, and the data per page.
That's gotta be faster.

We don't render a bmp on the server then send it down the pipe, we send
the browser _instructions_ on what to do with the text.

With XML/XSL we have the same theory in a highly tuned model.

Many of the applications using XML (I'm predicting here, rather than
observing) are doing so to be able to provide INFORMATION in an
accessible way. It's easier for a client (search engine, stock ticker,
intelligent agent) to read and use XML data that's provided at an URL
than to un-parse a heavy HTML page.

If you're only worried about internal management of site content, fine,
but the client-side applications are much wider than that. 

Compatibility with non-supporting clients is of course a giant issue,
but not one that should pollute the promotion of a better way of doing
things.

This is why the IE5 model is a step forward, and BTW there's no issues
with the conformance on that particular behaviour AFAIK.
Don't slate them for that feature, concentrate on things you see as
BREAKING the spec.

Sorry, don't mean to be anti you POV, but this is mine.

.dan. 
 
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