[uf-discuss] Comments from IBM/Lotus rep about Microformats

[Scott Reynen]

On Dec 12, 2006, at 1:38 PM, Joe Andrieu wrote:

> brian suda wrote
>> It is possible for me to start creating a CSS style called
>> 'vcard', but a parser would know that this is a style and not
>> semantics because of the lack of a profile URI. Eventually,
>> as microformats become more popular,  the profile URI is used
>> to disambiguate random styles with intended semantic values.
>
> Brian,
>
> As I understand it profile URIs are not required.
>
> If so, the parser cannot distinguish between wild semantic HTML and an
> hCard.

Profile URIs are not required for publishers, but parsers are free to  
ignore HTML without profile URIs, and I think it's reasonable to  
expect them to start doing that if name conflict becomes more than a  
hypothetical problem.  This mirrors how natural language works.   
Until there is some need for clarification, we assume everyone knows  
what we mean.  Then there is a need for clarification, we clarify.   
No one goes around defining every word before they use it, and I  
don't think we can expect publishers to behave differently with HTML  
symbols.  We could require profile URIs, but that won't make anyone  
use them.  OI think only a practical need for disambiguation will do  
that.

Peace,
Scott