Re: HTML != XML (was Re: [ANN] Kludgey workarounds for xt)

John Cowan (cowan@locke.ccil.org)
Wed, 09 Sep 1998 14:36:08 -0400


Andrew Bunner scripsit:

> (Interesting aside, IE will
> display the right thing if you close a stand-along tag with />, but
> Netscape will not)

Both IE and Netscape will cope if you add a space before the
"/>". This is legal XML.

> <stating-the-obvious>Java Script engines are not easy things to
> write.</stating-the-obvious> I think it's unlikely that developers are
> going to redefine the Java Script language to interpret &lt; as < ... my
> opinion (hope) is that the standard should accomodate this.

The problem arrived when Netscape decided to treat SCRIPT elements
specially. This behavior then got standardized by giving SCRIPT
a CDATA content model, which is Evil. The Right Thing would have
been for Netscape to wrap SCRIPT content in a CDATA section.

-- 
John Cowan	http://www.ccil.org/~cowan		cowan@ccil.org
	You tollerday donsk?  N.  You tolkatiff scowegian?  Nn.
	You spigotty anglease?  Nnn.  You phonio saxo?  Nnnn.
		Clear all so!  'Tis a Jute.... (Finnegans Wake 16.5)