Re: XUL/XUI/XUIL/XML-UI - It's Your Choice

Gerald Bauer wrote:
>   Just to let you know I invite you to use whatever
> acronym you feel most comfortable with on xul-talk. Be
> it XUL, XUI, XUIL, XML-UI, XPML, XAML, UIML, UML, WML
> etc. It's your choice and I ask everyone to respect
> it.

XUL - Many already claim that this is a trademark of Mozilla. Since XUL 
is the only name for Mozilla's XML user interface language, there can be 
little doubt that the use of this term would cause confusion within the 
Mozilla community, whether Mozilla actually claims it as a trademark or not.

XUI - Don't know too much about this one, but if several groups are 
fighting over who has a copyright to it, it should probably be avoided.

Apparently, XUI also stands for "X User Interface" (as in X Windows).

XUIL - This term is probably the least problematic. It's the only 
acronym I know of created to _specifically_ be used as a generic term. 
VXF uses this term on their website:

    http://vxf.sourceforge.net

XML-UI - This has possibilities, but could be confused for a method of 
displaying XML rather than an XML language for user interfaces.

XPML - Please, I'm was confused enough by XPCOM. A random individual 
looks at this, and for all they know it means "Xeroderma Pigmentosum 
Medical Lasing".

XAML - Not only is this the name specifically for Microsoft's XML user 
interface language, but it also used to stand for "Transaction Authority 
Markup Language". See this URL:

    http://www.xml.com/pub/r/811

UIML - This doesn't really communicate that it's XML-based. In theory, 
this term could be describing a broader group of markup languages. That 
could be good or bad depending on how you look at it.

UML - Stands for "Unified Modeling Language". It's a frequent term in 
business environments with large corporate databases. Don't touch this 
one with a ten foot pole.

If I were to rate these in order: XUIL, XML-UI, UIML, XUI, XPML. I 
dropped XUL, XAML and UML, because each is used to identify a single, 
specific technology. We may wish to avoid XUI as well until those 
claiming it come to an agreement on its use.


-------------------------------------------------------
This SF.Net email sponsored by Black Hat Briefings & Training.
Attend Black Hat Briefings & Training, Las Vegas July 24-29 - 
digital self defense, top technical experts, no vendor pitches, 
unmatched networking opportunities. Visit www.blackhat.com