> >>>> I thought XHTML transitional _is_ XML. In what way is XHTML > >>>> transitional is a "less strict data format"? > >>> > >>> It's a transition. It's a half-way house between HTML 4 and XHTML as > > it > >>> is intended (XHTML Strict). > > > >> No its not. There is no such thing as a half-way house between HTML 4 > >> and XHTML. > > > > Sure there is. That's what it's meant to be anyway. What else does > > 'Transitional' mean? - It's a bridge between what people were used to > > to > > something newer. Which is why it's the same as XHTML Strict, just with > > a > > generous helping of 'old' elements to ease the transition. > > > > What ever XHTML transitional it is, it is not a bridge or a half-way > house between HTML4 and XHTML. > > I just googled "Choosing a doctype" and got this[1] excellent article - > here's a quote. > > "There seems to be a common misconception that the XHTML Transitional > DOCTYPE is for developers to make a transition from HTML 4.01 to XHTML > 1.0. It's utter nonsense, as the HTML 4.01 DTD and the XHTML 1.0 DTD > are very similar in the rules they apply. The only difference is the > well-formed issues that any XML application must adhere to, whether > it's Transitional or Strict. So which is the better DOCTYPE? HTML 4.01 > Strict, or XHTML 1.0 Transitional? Without a shadow of a doubt, the > HTML 4.01 Strict DOCTYPE is a far better than XHTML Transitional, as it > deprecates presentation elements such as font, and presentation > attributes such as align. XHTML Transitional merely means you've > ensured it's well formed." > > [1 ]http://www.juicystudio.com/choosing-doctype/ > >
Of course the DTD's are different. I'm not saying that XHTML Transitional is some kind of siamese HTML 4 / XHTML Strict. As has already been stated, XHTML Transitional is, more or less, a reformulation of HTML 4. But XHTML Strict is where XHTML is supposed to be - cutting out the presentation and leaving just the structure. As we're all such fans of semantics, just think about the word 'Transitional' - it means something between two things. A bridge. A half way house. ---------------- Patrick Griffiths (PTG) http://www.htmldog.com/ptg/ http://www.htmldog.com ***************************************************** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help *****************************************************
