Re: Where are we Headed? (was lynx-dev The Lynx TODO list )

[David Woolley]

> 
> Also, there's all this hype about XML as the next big thing.

XML is often misunderstood.  It is an enabling technology for structured
documents.  Like HTML is is a derivative of SGML, but unlike HTML, there
is no fixed set of tags, except for two or three core ones.  It is
intended as a simplified alternative to SGML, which doesn't require
a DTD to enable it to be parsed.
 
> How soon is this likely to hit us?

About two years ago.  Microsoft's channel definition files are an application
of XML, even if they were a commercial failure.

Generally though, most web users will see a few specific applications of XML,
and it those applications they will be interested in not the general
capabilities.  There is MathML, a language for mathematical formulae and
there are probably solid modelling 'MLs, and there is work on a vector
graphics one.

I suspect, though, that a major use will be within organisations and between
them, in the same way that SGML is now used for structured documents, e.g.
there will probably be one or more invoice XMLs and organisations may create
XMLs for their technical documents, as some, including the Linux Documentation
Project, have already done with SGML.

Effective use of XML requires well structured documents, so I don't foresee
its general use on commercial and vanity publishing sites, although the
commercial ones may well use, say, the vector graphics language based on
XML instead of Shockwave Flash.

Most of the general XML support in IE5 could probably be simulated using 
class attributes in HTML.

> 
> And what to do about it?

Definitely implement cascading sheets, and probably implement some of
the more powerful style sheet languages.  Without style sheets, general
XML cannot be rendered meaningfully, and even with them, MathML, for
example, would need specific application knowledge, rather than a style
sheet description of what to do.  Note that XML could be used for documents
that are not intended for pretty rendering, but only really for their
content.

Commercial sites may well animate XML documents in the same way as they
animate HTML, so Javascript, a GUI interface, etc. would be needed.

In reality, Lynx will probably react to particular instances of XML as they
are invented.

> 
> Anyone been making lynx-plans, or thoughts, about it?

There seem no signs that anyone has the resources to spare to implement 
CSS; have you?