[Sigia-L] flogging the dead horse

[robert.dornbush at ps.ge.com]

I had hoped to let the issue rest, but I feel compelled to point out that
Ziya's original distinction (between programming and markup):

"JavaScript is (essentially) programming, while HTML is markup."

doesn't work for me because when I'm using a CSS driven system to build
presentation layer; and In this case, the definition of DHTML = HTML uses
JavaScript to call HTML 'objects' [or snippets, if you prefer] from the CSS
and then renders those objects as HTML on screen.

All the interactivity, and indeed access to all the back-end (Sun) Java
functionality is routed through the concise JavaScipts, which are more or
less integral to the presentation layer...so the distinction between "just
markup" and "programming" has been blurred, because in this case the HTML is
worthless without the JavaScript.

And furthermore, HTML is not just "logic free" data [text and color
definition, etc.] it's the code that runs the interactivity [click this
widget and a menu drops down, click that submit button and Java function
executes transaction and session data gets stored in Database]...How can you
say that HTML is NOT programming. Writing it feels like programming, and
debugging it is certainly the same trail and error analysis process as
programming...I just don't agree with the distinction.

I do appreciate everyone having backed down from the battle lines of art vs.
code...even Ziya seems sensible on this point; however, markup is more than
just a wysiwyg word processor for presentation...it's the key to accessing
every piece of functionality in a web-enabled application.

Robert E. Dornbush, Jr.
UI Architect / Interaction Designer
GE Power Systems
robert.dornbush at ps.ge.com
uiarchitect at earthlink.net
desk - 678 844 4625
cell - 404 729 1137

"Ceci n'est pas une pipe"
 - Rene Magritte (1898-1967)