[topicmapmail] XML Schema for XTM DTD

Tue, 04 Feb 2003 09:58:00 +0100

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[Jim Mason:]
> OASIS has no TM committees that deal with the interchange 
> format of TMs or
> the definition of what it means to be a TM. That's all in ISO/IEC
> JTC1/SC34's territory.

Right. But obviously many of us need a schema and it is no good idea to have
everybody make his own.
I think we do not need a TC for this. We can do it informally. First let's
have a verified draft, and then think about what to do with it.

> But if any current software does
> validate its input, it's going to validate against a DTD 
> since that's how
> the interchange format is officially defined.

So we cannot be used in standard web services, which is the base of UDDI,
ebXML, and more. 
I am sure that's not what you want.

> At this point, the only test of a schema would have to be 
> whether something
> that it thinks is valid is also recognized as valid by the DTD. 

Exactly. Shouldn't be too difficult. And the other way round: validate
existing XTM samples with Max' schema and see what happens.

> But remember that having a valid XML file is not the same 
> thing as having a
> meaningful TM. I can generate all sorts of things that XMetaL 
> tells me are
> valid XTM files but which mean absolutely nothing to a TM 
> browser (as I know
> from copious idiotic experience).

sure. Schema is a little more powerful than DTD in this field, but not
powerful enough. OWL would help some steps further. Finally, it's not so
much a question of the formal language. If one's subjects are "meaningless",
then the whole topic map will be too, and no engine will be able to detect
it :-)

Well I want some tests of Max' schema. What would be a good XTM sample for
this? Max, how did you test it yourself?

Thomas Bandholtz

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[Jim Mason:]
 &gt; OASIS has no TM committees that deal with the interchange 
 &gt; format of TMs or
 &gt; the definition of what it means to be a TM. That's all in ISO/IEC
 &gt; JTC1/SC34's territory.

Right. But obviously many of us need a schema and it is no good idea to have everybody make his own.
 I think we do not need a TC for this. We can do it informally. First let's have a verified draft, and then think about what to do with it.

<P><FONT SIZE=2>&gt; But if any current software does</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&gt; validate its input, it's going to validate against a DTD </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&gt; since that's how</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&gt; the interchange format is officially defined.</FONT>
</P>

So we cannot be used in standard web services, which is the base of UDDI, ebXML, and more. 
 I am sure that's not what you want.

&gt; At this point, the only test of a schema would have to be 
 &gt; whether something
 &gt; that it thinks is valid is also recognized as valid by the DTD.

Exactly. Shouldn't be too difficult. And the other way round: validate existing XTM samples with Max' schema and see what happens.

&nbsp; 
 &gt; But remember that having a valid XML file is not the same 
 &gt; thing as having a
 &gt; meaningful TM. I can generate all sorts of things that XMetaL 
 &gt; tells me are
 &gt; valid XTM files but which mean absolutely nothing to a TM 
 &gt; browser (as I know
 &gt; from copious idiotic experience).

sure. Schema is a little more powerful than DTD in this field, but not powerful enough. OWL would help some steps further. Finally, it's not so much a question of the formal language. If one's subjects are &quot;meaningless&quot;, then the whole topic map will be too, and no engine will be able to detect it :-)

Well I want some tests of Max' schema. What would be a good XTM sample for this? Max, how did you test it yourself?

<P><FONT SIZE=2>Thomas Bandholtz</FONT>
</P>

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