Re: LYNX-DEV blockquote behavior

[Eli's redistribution point]

Subir Grewal wrote:
> I really don't think Lynx needs to handle nested blockquotes as you
> suggest it should.  Whether the author expects nested blockquotes to be
> acceptable structural markup is an interesting question, the DTD permits
> it.  It might be wise to have Lynx think of all nested blockquotes as <Q>s
> but if people are using BLOCKQUOTE where they should be using CITE or
> simply to get more indentation, that would be counter-productive.

I started this discussion, and here's where I think I should jump back in.
I agree that there is no precendent in typography for nested block quotes,
and that perhaps thinking about HTML in terms of typography is what caused
this oversight in lynx. I do think it should be supported.

Here's why. HTML is not physical markup. HTML is not typography. HTML
is a way of markuping up text in a logical way. Just because typography
in the last five centuries has not found it necessary to nest quotes,
it does not follow that nesting quotes is not appropriate ever. I
started this with the comment that it was a discussion of HTML in Usenet
that made me think about it. Usenet has a nearly twenty year history
of nested block quotations (and nested citations). 

Marking up posts to Usenet for inclusion in a web page is something
that happens often. I have 75 megs of HTMLized Usenet posts. (I don't
like seeing HTML in Usenet, but that's different.) The nature of the
bits of Usenet I archive largely precludes quoting other people BUT
that is just a small bit of Usenet.

Given that Brad Templeton (address@hidden) thinks HTMLized news is
approproiate for his Clarinet Usenet hierarchy, and that the suggested
way of implementing this for terminals[1] was to hack trn (currently
maintained by address@hidden) to run the page through lynx, I think
there might soon be more demand for nested blockquotes.

I am not suggesting that Lynx be patched for their benefit. If they
are desperate and serious, I am sure they can submit the patches
themselves. I am saying that they do have a point that nested
blockquotes are logically correct in the context of HTMLized news
and that HTMLized news is going to increase in volume.

[1] Disclaimer: I don't remember who made that suggestion.

Elijah
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