ISO/IEC JTC1/SC18/WG8 N1351


    Title:                Request for contributions for review of ISO 8879
                          (Standard Generalized Markup Language - SGML)

    Source:               WG8

    Project:              1.18.15.1

    Project editor:       C. F. Goldfarb

    Status of document:   Approved WG8 document

    Requested action:     For information

    Date:                 11 Oct 1991

    Distribution:         WG8 and liaisons


ISO 8879 (SGML) was published in October 1986, and has recently been
subject to an ISO formal 5-year review ballot which reaffirmed the
standard for an additional five years (source:  SC18 N3128).  With
this support, WG8 has directed the Project Editor to conduct a
systematic review of the standard to consider future development.  The
review process will ensure that every clause, paragraph, note, and
syntax production of ISO 8879 is reviewed.

WG8 has agreed to a set of principles for any future development, a
copy of which is attached (JTC1/SC18/WG8 N1289).  These principles
restrict any changes to those that correct errors, remove ambiguities,
and make enhancements that are upwardly compatible with the existing
standard.  These principles will ensure that all existing conforming
SGML documents will continue to conform after any revision of the
standard.

The purpose of this notice is to invite contributions for the review.
Comments on ISO 8879 will be welcomed in printed form or as
machine-readable unformatted ASCII files (Macintosh or DOS floppies
and E-mail accepted).  SGML files are of course the most useful
format; a DTD can be obtained from the Project Editor, to whom the
comments should also be sent:

Dr. Charles Goldfarb, SGML Project Editor
c/o Dr. Lynne A. Price
Frame Technology Corp.
1010 Rincon Circle
San Jose, CA 95131
USA
lprice@frame.com
FAX +1 408-433-1928

National member bodies and liaison organisations are encouraged to
distribute this notice as widely as possible.


                        ATTACHMENT (WG8 N1289)

The future development of ISO 8879 shall be consistent with the
following principles:

1. Any document that is a conforming SGML document according to the
current standard shall continue to be a conforming document under the
provisions of future versions of the standard.

2. The results of parsing an SGML document (that is, the element
structure information set, or "ESIS") that conforms to the current
standard shall be unchanged when the document is parsed under the
provisions of future versions of the standard.

3. A document that is classified as a minimal or basic conforming
SGML document under the current standard shall continue to be
classified as such under the provisions of future versions of the
standard.

NOTE 1 -- These principles should not be construed to mean that no
changes can be made to ISO 8879. To meet evolving user requirements,
for example, some changes of the following types are possible without
violating the above principles:

a) Relaxing restrictions

b) Adding new constructs

c) Partitioning existing optional features

d) Introducing options to allow the suppression of troublesome
existing constructs, when experience indicates that the constructs
tend to induce user errors with serious consequences

4. Future versions of the standard shall require conforming SGML
parsers and systems to support conforming SGML documents, minimal
conforming SGML documents, and basic conforming SGML documents to at
least the same extent as the current standard.

NOTE 2 -- Future versions of this standard can introduce additional
requirements as well.

NOTE 3 -- These principles should not be construed to mean that the
definition of a "conforming SGML document" cannot be changed, only
that existing conforming SGML documents will continue to be classified
as such.