From data representation to data model: Meta-semantic issues in the evolution of SGML

摘要

SGML provides standard representations for documents, but as documents become more fluid, we will need standard semantics for them as well. The ability to manage change is a fundamental capability of any system that supports document semantics. We look at three areas important in change management: equivalence, redundancy, and operators. We show how these areas are implicitly addressed in SGML and SGML-based standards, and argue that more explicit consideration would be useful both for evaluating current standards, and for developing new systems for document semantics.