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Re: What is the future of XSL-FO

2004-02-27 10:24:12
At 05:56 AM 2/27/2004, you wrote:
Below is an excerpt of an explanation for XSLT, took out from
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/xmlsdk/htm/xslt_starter_54dw.asp:

"XSL is now generally referred to as XSL Formatting Objects (XSL-FO), to
distinguish it from XSLT. The future of XSL-FO as a standard is uncertain,
because much of its functionality overlaps with that provided by cascading
style sheets (CSS) and the HTML tag set. If cross-vendor compatibility is
important, you might want to avoid XSL-FO until it becomes a standard fully
accepted by the Worldwide Web Consortium."

It's astonishing how fast data decays, and how long bad data hangs around. What's the date on this document? (Our friends at MS should see that it's removed or at least updated: it reflects badly on them.)

"Until it becomes a standard fully accepted by the Worldwide Web Consortium" happened in October 2001. Microsoft doesn't implement XSL-FO, so you're not going to find much supportive documentation on their site, but many others are using it quite successfully.

XSL-FO doesn't do everything, but what it does, it does extremely well. And interest in it appears to be rising steadily if not quickly. Like XML itself, it is something of a "stealth technology": it's no more perfect than anything else in this world (or not much), but people who use it don't go back.

Cheers,
Wendell

___&&__&_&___&_&__&&&__&_&__&__&&____&&_&___&__&_&&_____&__&__&&_____&_&&_
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     the directors, like the sparrows, which I perceive use it
extensively for a perch." -- Thoreau

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