From owner-incits-v1@incits-v1.org Fri Jun 22 08:14:30 2007 Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 08:13:04 -0700 (PDT) From: jon.bosak@sun.com Subject: INCITS-V1: VML-Durusau-13 Sender: owner-incits-v1@incits-v1.org To: incits-v1@incits-v1.org Reply-to: incits-v1@incits-v1.org X-PMX-Version: 5.2.0.264296 X-Authentication-warning: jurassic-x4600.sfbay.sun.com: bosak set sender to jon.bosak@sun.com using -f (For the text of the comment in question, see http://www.ibiblio.org/bosak/v1mail/200705/2007May23-170209.eml) The comment here is: VML is a legacy markup language that is deprecated in DIS 29500. As a markup language VML is clearly out of scope for DIS 29500 which is a representation of a legacy binary format using XML. I agree that (as clearly stated in Ecma/TC45/2006/374 and acknowledged by the submitters) DIS 29500 is intended to represent legacy binary formats using XML, but VML *is* a legacy binary format. As noted near the beginning of Part 4 Section 6.1: The VML format is a legacy format originally introduced with Office 2000 and is included and fully defined in this Standard for backwards compatibility reasons. The DrawingML format is a newer and richer format created with the goal of eventually replacing any uses of VML in the Office Open XML formats. VML should be considered a deprecated format included in Office Open XML for legacy reasons only and new applications that need a file format for drawings are strongly encouraged to use preferentially DrawingML. So inasmuch as DIS 29500 attempts to xmlify proprietary legacy formats, it would seem that this section is entirely appropriate. The part that puzzles me is why the DIS spends over 600 pages describing a format that it deprecates and explicitly recommends not be used. Perhaps this is usual in Ecma, but I don't believe I've ever seen an ISO/IEC Standard devoted to specifying something that it recommends against using. If the newer DrawingML (also described in DIS 29500) offers capabilities equal to or better than VML -- as presumably it does, being "a newer and richer format created with the goal of eventually replacing any uses of VML" -- then the translation of drawing objects in binary VML should be to the new DrawingML, not to the XML version of VML. As Patrick noted earlier, explicit mappings from all the legacy binary formats to OOXML must be provided in order for DIS 29500 to support interoperability and fulfill its stated purpose of moving from the proprietary binary world to the open XML world, so a mapping from the old drawing formats to DrawingML will have to be supplied in any case. Given that mapping, the XML form of VML is not only deprecated but redundant, and this section should therefore be removed. Jon