XML API

Digitome Ltd. (digitome@iol.ie)
Wed, 26 Feb 1997 19:38:50 +0000

What exactly do people mean by "API" for XML.

A function/method interface?
An abstract data structure specification?
Both?

There is a degree of overlay between the two however, trench warfare experience
leads me to prefer abstract data structure over functions/methods.

As soon as you create function/method interfaces you are creating a backward
compatability problem for yourself. If you want to make wholesale changes you
must maintain the "old" functions/methods in order to avoid breaking existing
apps.

The thing I would like most to see tied down is the ESIS++ (or RAST) for XML so
that tools can sensibly be tested against a reference test suite.

Regards,
sean@digitome@iol.ie
Sean Mc Grath