Don't forget the statement that launched the thread:

"One of my assertions was that the growth of (XML) Web services was 
promoted by the need to separate content from presentation, users 
required data in a "pure" form which could then be styled as they 
saw fit and depending on the front end, their device capabilities 
etc." - Joe

Doug :-)

-----Original Message-----
From: Bullard, Claude L (Len) [mailto:len.bullard@i...] 
Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 12:01 PM
To: 'Michael Kay'; 'Doug Rudder'
Cc: xml-dev@l...
Subject: RE: [xml-dev] Demand for web services

"In my opinion the separation isn't the principle feature neither in XML nor
in Web Services." - Xasima

"I agree.  It is one of the stronger myths about XML, repeated everywhere
and seldom examined critically as you are doing." - Len

"It's not a myth; it's a very useful and important part of XML. But only a
part, and not always required, as you noted." - Doug

It's not a part of XML.  That is the myth.  It is a design principle. 
That is not a myth.

The tough part is principles in conflict: such as the Principle of Least
Power vs The Principle of Separation of Content and Presentation.  Let the
parsing continue.

len

From: Michael Kay [mailto:mike@s...]

> But XML doesn't care.  You do. 

This started with a discussion as to why Web Services had been adopted, and
strayed into a discussion of why XML had been adopted. You seem to be
arguing against a viewpoint that I seem to have missed; I don't recall
anyone suggesting that XML had views on anything.