The end of DELTA?

Mauro J. Cavalcanti maurobio at ACD.UFRJ.BR
Mon Nov 22 10:01:01 CET 1999


Gregor Hagedorn wrote:
>
> ---------------------------------------------------
> * Call for participation in email discussion list *
> ---------------------------------------------------
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> As agreed upon at the TDWG meeting in Harvard last month, a TDWG
> subgroup will attempt to analyze the requirements for a new standard
> for descriptive data based on XML. It is hoped that this standard
> will reach universal recognition to become at some point a successor
> to existing standards like DELTA, NEXUS, or XDF. The new standard
> should be carefully drafted and aggreed upon by consensus. We
> especially hope for the participation of those not present at
> Harvard.

Dear Computer Taxonomists,

Greetings, and welcome to the new discussion list...

As an attempt to start a discussion, I am posting this to ask: do we all
really agree that there should be a new standard for descriptive data
based on XML, as a substitute for DELTA (as well as NEXUS and XDF)? Or
should we instead just try to improve one of the existing formats? As of
myself, when I first read the specifications of "XDELTA", I was under
the impression that in some way the DELTA format as we know it would
then become obsolete... But what of NEXUS, or XDF? Has anyone considered
of the integration of these formats plus DELTA into a single new,
XML-based, format for descriptive data?

Just "food for thought"...

Best wishes,

--
+ - - - - - - - - - - - - Mauro J. Cavalcanti - - - - - - - - - - - - +
| Setor de Paleovertebrados, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia |
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