[topicmapmail] XFML as a Topic Map Application?

[PeterV]

>IMHO it is quite likely that diverse markup languages for topic maps
>will emerge in the future that are optimized for certain areas of application.

I guess that really is what XFML is: a markup language for (a subset of?) 
topicmaps, optimized for the purpose of sharing simple taxonomies over the 
web, and creating automatic links between related pages on different websites.
Does that definition make sense?

Also: I am publishing version 0.2 of XFML today, including an all new DTD 
and some examples. Some changes, nothing drastic so far. I hope to be able 
to move to version 1.0 soon. I'd love for people to check out the DTD and 
let me know if looks ok. (See http://xfml.org )

The main issue I am having defining this language so far is this: should I 
let topics have multiple parents?

The only relationship possible between topics is a parent-child one, and 
currently a topic can have only one parent (but they are organised in 
mutually exclusive groups called facets.). The main consideration for me 
is: will it make XFML a *lot* more useful (good), and will it make writing 
XFML applications a *lot* more hard (bad). XFML is designed with the aim 
that you could write some code for it to work with you content management 
system in, say, a weekend. I want to keep that simplicity of 
implementation. Yet, writers of applications like thebrain or tinderbox 
would love to have multiple parents.

Another issue is: should I allow merge elements to point to topics in the 
*same* map? Same considerations as the above issue. I don't think so, but I 
may be wrong?

Input on any of this is very welcome.
Peter Van Dijck
http://easytopicmaps.com
http://xfml.org