Subject: Re: Lisp XML parser ? From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.no> Date: 2000/06/28 Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp Message-ID: <3171188004076517@naggum.no> * Christopher Browne | But the _intended_ meaning can vary considerably, depending on the | context of what data I stuck into WHATEVER, and what Lisp form this | reference is embedded into. Nonsense. Failure to include information about an enclosing form does not constitute a change of semantics for the form so enclosed. It is simply not useful to communicate with other people with a fear that everything they say might have been enclosed in a `not' form, and it is not useful to blame the recipient for not having taking such into account when interpreting the meaning of what they say. | Based on looking at a bit of code that says (car a1), I can't tell | much about what it means. No, obviously _you_ can't, since you have made up your mind that you can enclose a form in any form at all to _rob_ it of meaning, a pretty silly move, but necessary in order to argue that SGML _has_ meaning, since SGML has meaning _only_ relative to external sources and that hypothetical-mythical enclosing form has the same status for the Lisp forms: The Great Unknown Semantic Modifier. Once again, an SGML fan is displaying his lack of clue. Boring! #:Erik -- If this is not what you expected, please alter your expectations.