On Sun, 2009-01-11 at 11:44 +1000, Murray wrote:

> I don't know why, but I always baulk when I see HTML and, for example, XML
> etc described as a 'language'.
> 
> I may well be wrong, but these always seem to be more appropriately
> described as a 'syntax' rather than a 'language', at least in the computer
> science sense. Of course, maybe these are essentially synonymous, but
> 'language' has always implied to me a more active role, so that PHP would be
> a language, while HTML would be a syntax.
> 
> Just thinking out loud.
> 
> M is for Murray
> 
> 
> On Sun, Jan 11, 2009 at 2:04 AM, Nathan Rixham <nrix...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > HTML is a markup language used to describe the structure of a document;
> > presentation of HTML is controlled by either a client, with optional
> > instructions via attributes (bad) or css (good)

I think you are thinking of language being synonymous with programming
language, which HTML isn't really. What it is, is a computer language.
Subtle difference, but difference, I believe, there is. Also, the name
kind of gives it away ;)


Ash
www.ashleysheridan.co.uk

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