Yet another XML and Ada issue

["Marius Amado Alves" <amado.alves@netcabo.pt>]

"RELAX NG seems a valuable alternative to XQuery et al." (Marius)

"No!

RELAX NG is an alternative schema model, whose use should be actively
discouraged. I believe that we should stay with standard XML schema. This is
one case where the World Wide Web Consortium can learn from Ada about
creation of standards in a coordinated manor. RELAX NG seems to be favored
by Sun and IBM people. In this case Microsoft is totally correct in
specifying XML schema. Unfortunately, Microsoft has not implemented Office
using the XML FO and SVG standards. If the European Economic Union were
smart, it would fund a pan European development of a European alternative to
Office based on XML standards. Presently and in the past, Microsoft has had
the extreme good fortune of having technologically incompetent competitors.

If there is to be any further discussion on this subject, it should probably
be moved [from ada-comment] to comp.lang.ada." (Bob Leif)

Even XSchema proponents agree that RELAX NG suceeds at being a more compact
notation for XML schemas, useful for writing such schemas when schema
transformation (e.g. via XSLT) is not required. If this is often the case as
I believe it is then RELAX NG surely has earn its place in the landscape of
XML technologies. Politics aside of course. I understand there are tools to
promote RELAX NG objects to XSchema's, so there's no technical issue really.

-----Original Message-----
From: Marius Amado Alves [mailto:amado.alves@netcabo.pt]
Sent: Saturday, April 24, 2004 5:11 PM
To: Ada-Comment List
Subject: Re: [Ada-Comment] Database I/O (New Revision)

[XQuery et al. by Robert Leif]

This just made me realise how XML can be a step forward in the adoption of
the network data model (but see Aside 1). So that's additional ammunition to
consider the network model as a basis [for an Ada standard database
library]. However XML seems powerfull enough a
movement to create their own Ada standards, independently from any other
database-oriented effort.

Aside 1. Unfortunately in my opinion XML and it's zillion standards can be
also two steps backward in data manipulation, technically. And, even keeping
with XML, RELAX NG seems a valuable alternative to XQuery et al.

Aside 2. I should perhaps clarify the my definition of "network model" is
not in line with CODASYL, perhaps the only widely known one. My definition
is more pure. Untyped graphs as a basis, plus conventions to represent
complex structures (including typed graphs) in it. In one word, Mneson.
Incidently, I've just finished the convention for XML objects, and a tool to
convert a valid XML object to Mntext. I'll update the Mneson site soon with
this stuff.