xml:id RE: [sc34wg3] Compact syntax requirement question

[Mason, James David (MXM)]

Perhaps XML is a problem if one uses just a straight editor (e.g., =
unmodified
EMACS). I, for one, gave up on that approach 20 years ago. My typing is =
too
bad, not to mention the issues of validation. I long ago moved to
syntax-directed editors, particularly the ones that assist in structure
completion, for any sort of SGML/XML editing (other than typing trivial
examples into text documents).

I edit topic maps in XTM using syntax-directed editors. I have =
occasionally
had problems with editors that didn't like to deal with files of a =
quarter
million lines, but I've never been pushed to the point of giving up on =
the
general technique.

I will grant that syntaxes like LTM allow one to see more of a TM on the
screen at once, but in the absence of a syntax-directed editor for them,
that's not enough of an advantage to make me give up on XTM for my =
editing
work.=20

(Aside from that, most of my TMs these days are generated from other =
data
through XSLT, so I rarely edit the things as TMs.)

So for me, a compact syntax is at most useful for presenting examples, =
not
for doing real TM work.

Jim Mason