Re: HTML+ Comments

Steve Heaney (Steve.Heaney@delft.sgp.slb.com)
Wed, 21 Jul 1993 12:37:38 +0200

> From: "Peter Lister, Cranfield Computer Centre" <P.LISTER@mail.cranfield.ac.uk>
>
.. lines removed.
>
> Suggesting markup in terms of a line break seemed like a better idea
> (at the time), than requesting specific types of layout each with their
> own tag, since HTML would then grow as everyone wanted their own
> favourite e.g. <poem>, <postal_address>, <british_rail_timetable>, etc.
> In hindsight, the term "break" was a bad one to use; I appreciate why
> many people object to it.
>

It has been implicit in the converstions over the past few weeks that
one goal of HTML is to keep it small wrt the number of elements it contains.

It may seem like a daft question, but what is the justification for this.
I can think of a few things that may have gone unsaid:

- bigger equals more difficult to understand,
- bigger means more difficult to implement conforming clients/editors,
- small is beautiful.

There are a number of design guidelines mentioned in the HTML+ DTD - the only
one that seems to be relevant is

"Fast and easy to render with modest programs ...."

Comments anybody?

Steve.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steven Heaney
SQM Group
Schlumberger Geco-Prakla

Internet: heaney@delft.sgp.slb.com
DECnet: GDESU1::HEANEY
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