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2003-08-23Comparison of SGML and XML. This note by James Clark provides the differences between the two specifications. Here it is noted that the use of mixed content is restricted and there are other simplifying differences. 2003-08-22Computing MilieuPublic Policy, Research, and On-Line Learning. An interesting, refreshing view of educational intervention and the determination of educational effectiveness.2003-08-19Economic Behavior and TechnologyLook, I understand too little too late.. This article, on Path Dependence, is a companion to the article on Network Effects. It considers the situation of a form of path dependency that ends up being economically inefficient:"The strongest form of path dependence claim, which we have termed third degree path dependence, is a claim that alleges the existence of remediable inefficiencies. You know a sewage plant is going to be built but build a house nearby anyway since all of your friends are buying houses there and you value being part of that neighbourhood. You would rather buy a house away from the sewage plant, and so would your friends, but you and your friends are somehow unable to coordinate your actions." Examples of this form of inefficiency are QWERTY vs the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard and VHS versus Betamax. This analysis suggests that nothing of the kind actually happened and we have QWERTY because it works and VHS because it provided what consumers (and providers) wanted: longer playing time. Network Externalities (Effects). This paper on Network Effects has some valuable analysis and raises some as-yet unresolved questions: "The greatest chance for some form of third-degree path dependence (see Path Dependence, this volume) to arise would be if an unowned standard with dispersed adherents were to engage in competition with a standard that had well defined ownership. Further research in this area is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn, however. [ ... ] "The enthusiasm for recognizing and understanding these phenomena should not, however, lead us to inappropriate or premature conclusions. As we have noted above, there are distinctions and reservations that ought to be maintained. The first and broadest is that between network effects and network externalities. A further distinction is between pecuniary externalities and real ones. Even for the set a real externalities, it is important to note the distinction between the problem of network size and that of network choice, the boundedness of the network effect, the likely symmetry of network effects for alternative products, the ability of large consumers to self-internalize network effects, and differences in tastes." MiscellanyBecause I am not prepared to classify these better right now.argouml.tigris.org. The source for ArgoUML, an open-source (BSD license) UML diagrammer and documentation tool. 2003-08-18Microsoft patch process called into question - Computerworld. This is important for future work in confirming the state of a configuration. It may be necessary to find a signed copy of the code and other evidence of installation as part of confirming update or configuration status. 2003-08-17TEX4ht site with more on TeX for HyperText. Includes working between TeX and other markup systems that work for hypertext. The UK List of TeX Frequently Asked Questions. A site I forgot to mention while compiling a response to a classroom question on why would anyone markup a text document. Here is some interesting information on working between TeX and XML.
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