Welcome to Markup Languages: Theory & Practice (original) (raw)

A Reference Model for Data Interchange Standards

1998

This paper discusses data interchange standards. It introduces a reference model in which the relevant issues are studied on several levels and in a layered manner: 1) the atom level, 2) the elementary level, 3) the structural level and 4) the application level. Each of these levels is specific and is subject to a variety of standards. The heterogeneous nature of the media (text, graphics, sound, video, animation, etc.) involves a multitude of corresponding formats that bring out the need to establish and apply appropriate standards in order to facilitate data interchange. WWW demands a standard that will guarantee format stability and data compatibility.

Lost in Translation: Interoperability Issues for Open Standards

Open standards are widely considered to have significant economic and technological benefits. These perceived advantages have led many governments to consider mandating open standards for document formats. Document formats are how a computer stores documents such memos, spreadsheets or slides. Governments are moving away from Microsoft's proprietary DOC format to open standard document formats, such as the OpenDocument Format (ODF) and Office Open XML (OOXML). The belief is that by shifting to open standards, governments will benefit from choice, competition, and the ability to seamlessly substitute different vendor products and implementations. This paper examines whether open standards by themselves can deliver on these promised benefits. The study examines interoperability for three document formats: ODF, OOXML, and DOC. The research assesses interoperability among different software implementations of each document format. For example, the implementations for ODF included KOffice, Wordperfect, TextEdit, Microsoft Office, and Google Docs. A set of test documents is used to evaluate the performance of other alternative implementations.

Guidelines for the Use of Extensible Markup Language (XML) within IETF Protocols

2003

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a framework for structuring data. While it evolved from Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) -- a markup language primarily focused on structuring documents -- XML has evolved to be a widely-used mechanism for representing structured data. There are a wide variety of Internet protocols being developed; many have need for a representation for structured

iStarML: The i* mark-up language

2007

Goal-oriented and agent-oriented modelling provides an effective approach to the understanding of nowadays distributed information systems that need to operate in open, heterogeneous and evolving environments. Existing frameworks have been extended along language variants, analysis methods and CASE tools, posing language semantics and tool interoperability issues. We focus on i*-based modelling languages and tools and on the problem of supporting model exchange between them. As a first step towards providing a practical solution, we introduce an XML interchange format called iStarML. In this report, we describe the iStarML format providing examples to illustrate its use.

Lessons learned from using SGML in the Text Encoding Initiative

Computer Standards & Interfaces, 1996

In April of 1994 the ACH-ALLC-ACL Text Encoding Initiative published Guidelines for Electronic Text Encoding and Interchange (Document TEI P3). SGML was used as the basis for the encoding scheme that was developed. Several innovative approaches to the use of SGML were devised during the course of the project. Three aspects of this innovation are documented in the paper. First, all of the tags are organized into sets that can be included easily into the project DTD, which allows the corresponding features to be used in documents only when required. Second, mechanisms were developed to relate parts of documents in non-hierarchic ways. Third, a mechanism was developed to allow extension of the DTD in a disciplined manner. We comment on the effectiveness with which SGML could be used in these ways and the shortcomings we perceive.

What's in a WordTM? When one electronic document format standard is not enough

Information Technology & People, 2014

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of the standardisation of two largely overlapping electronic document formats between 2005 and 2008, and its implications for future IT standards development. Design/methodology/approach – The document format controversy is researched as an exemplary case study of the institutional rivalries, perspectives and strategic interests at play in standardisation processes. The study adopts a methodological lens of discursive institutionalism in order to explain how actors assume and perform a variety of roles during the controversy. It consults a range of documentary sources, including media commentary, corporate press releases and blog posts, financial reports and technical specifications. Findings – The study shows that: first, intentions to increase competition in the office software market through the standardisation of document formats led to a standards “arms race”; second, this further entrenched the position of a single ...