On 11/26/06 10:49 AM, "Aaron Gustafson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Tantek Celik [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> Aaron, >> >> DL/DT/DD in XHTML can already be used to semantically >> represent property value sets and XOXO uses them for this >> purposes. Hence XOXO already solves this problem by reusing >> semantic XHTML. >> >> Tantek > > I understand that, so should a DT-based XOXO within any microformat (hCard, > hCal, hProduct, etc.) automatically be considered properties for that > card/caledar/product? How would it work with a list of properties and values > or natural language properties and values? It seems like some part of the > XOXO spec should specify how to handle that (I couldn't find any mention of > it, perhaps you could point me to the right place...?) or the scope of XOXO > should be expanded to allow for situations like these. Quite the opposite actually. The goals of any format are data fidelity and interoperability over time and space, to which microformats adds a few more principles, like ease of use for humans first rather than machines (though even that is derived from observing that formats easier for humans lead to better data fidelity). Arbitrary extension of the properties/values of any microformat just leads to significantly worse interoperability as people mutate it in numerous directions - e.g. babel. The only partial exception to that we have found that appears to work in the wild is "tagging" - where there is an upfront expectation of a semi-chaotic (but also emergent semi-orderly) folksonomy. Yet folksonomies themselves make poor data formats, for the same reason. Thus arbitrary extensibility is actually a design-antipattern for those goals, and to be explicitly avoided when designing formats. Since XOXO itself only defines nested lists (and sets) of items with arbitrary properties/values (with a certain fixed known set for compat with existing uses), there is no expectation that user/author defined properties themselves will interoperate. In that extent XOXO is a more like a meta-format like XML, RDF, or JSON that itself can be used to define data-type specific formats, rather than like hCard and hCalendar that are used to represent and interchange specific types of data. Thanks, Tantek _______________________________________________ microformats-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://microformats.org/mailman/listinfo/microformats-discuss
