ACE (Atom Centric Elevation) #18
Description
This is a companion idea which might be of interest.
You might want to read about a recent idea of mine which standardized
publishing of content over HTTP, which can work also for BitTorrent,
IPFS, Gnutella, and other P2P systems. It is stil a draft.
gemini://woodpeckersnest.space/~schapps/journal/2025-07-29-announcing-ace.gmi
gemini://woodpeckersnest.space/~schapps/journal/2025-07-05-standardization-of-http-sites.gmi
I am currently implementing this to a publication system which I am
currently working on.
https://journal.woodpeckersnest.eu/v
https://journal.woodpeckersnest.eu/v?atom
gemini://journal.woodpeckersnest.eu/v
# Announcing ACE
The standard for accessible publications.
# About
ACE (Atom Centric Elevation) is a standard for publishing contents in an accessible, syndicated, and structural fashion, by means of enumerating of items, being an essential part of the proper eutrophy of publishing platforms; The standard is comprised by these XML technologies.
## Atom Syndication Format
Atom (RFC 4287) is utilized to store documents and syndicate contents.
Location: Any.
Required: Yes.
Role: Content.
## Sitemap
Sitemap is utilized to map urlset.xml files.
Location: Root directory as /sitemap.xml.
Required: Yes.
Role: Map.
## Urlset
Urlset is utilized to navigate between pages.
Location: Any directory of which content is desired to be navigable.
Required: No.
Role: Navigation.
## Outline Processor Markup Language
OPML Collection is utilized to index and distribute subscriptions.
Location: Root directory as /collection.opml
Required: No.
Role: Index.
## DOAP
DOAP is utilized to deliver information about the software used.
Location: Root directory as /information.doap
Required: No.
Role: Identification.
## XSL Transformation
XSLT stylesheet is a recommended addition to forge an interface for Internet Browsers by transforming XML data to HTML pages, including visualizing data, such as mathematics and statistics.
Because ACE is utilized by software clients that are not Internet Browsers, the XSLT stylesheets are namely intended for people who still use Internet Browsers.
Location: Custom. The recommended directory is /xslt/.
Required: No.
Role: Accessibility.
# Post script
It is important to note, that publications that conform with the ACE specifications can be published over almost any protocol, including, yet not limited to, BitTorrent, Gemini, Gopher, FTP, HTTP, IPFS, SSH, and XMPP.
# Conclusion
The ACE standard allows to publish sites in a mapped fashion, which means, that it is possible to build desktop and mobile software that would only need to have a simple HTML parser, rather than a bloated HTML browser, which would consequently allow for a wider accessibility to other remote parts of the world, even over BitTorrent, FTP, Gemini, Gopher, IPFS, SSH, and XMPP.
Due to the use of sitemap, additional means and components, such as adding links for navigation or the use of ECMAScript, are not required.
> The next version of 'HTML' is expected to be reformulated as an XML application, so that it will be based upon XML rather than upon SGML.
> -- Robin Cover (March 02, 2001).
# Related
=> 2025-07-05-standardization-of-http-sites.gmi Standardization of HTTP sites
=> 2025-07-03-rivista-to-be-atom-based-publishing-system.gmi Rivista to be Atom-based publishing systemSource: gemini://woodpeckersnest.space/~schapps/journal/2025-07-29-announcing-ace.gmi
# Standardization of HTTP sites
Utilizing Atom, XSLT, and Sitemap.
# Preface
During my observations for an Atom Syndication Format based publication platform, I have realized, that it is feasible to standardize HTTP sites.
# XML
> XML: Overview [CR: 20000706]
> The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is descriptively identified in the XML 1.0 W3C Recommendation as "an extremely simple dialect [or 'subset'] of SGML" the goal of which "is to enable generic SGML to be served, received, and processed on the Web in the way that is now possible with HTML," for which reason "XML has been designed for ease of implementation, and for interoperability with both SGML and HTML." Note that the "HTML" referenced in the preceding sentence (bis) means HTML 4.0 and 3.2 which were in common use as of 10-February-1998, when the XML 1.0 specification was published as a W3C Recommendation. The next version of 'HTML' is expected to be reformulated as an XML application, so that it will be based upon XML rather than upon SGML. As of December 1998, 'Voyager' was the W3C code name for HTML reformulated as an application of XML.
As stated.
> The next version of 'HTML' is expected to be reformulated as an XML application, so that it will be based upon XML rather than upon SGML.
This quote was taken from the article "Extensible Markup Language (XML)" by Mr. Robin Cover.
=> http://xml.coverpages.org/xml.html The XML Cover Pages
# Present
While the PsyOp campaign of CSS3 and HTML5 was meant to distract us from XML, it is still feasible, and the technologies to do so are already available for immediate use.
# Technologies
The proposed standardization encompasses these technologies.
## Atom Syndication Format
Atom Syndication Format be served as a mean of storage and for delivery of content.
## XSL Transformations
XSLT stylesheets would be served for the transformation of XML (Atom Syndication Format) files to XHTML, in order to retain usability of sites with HTML browsers, for those who still use HTML (i.e. internet browsers).
## Sitemap
Sitemap file be served as as an index mean for mapping and the subsequent creation of navigation controls.
# Conclusion
The technologies to achieve an operational XML sites, are already available for immediate use, and all of them are recognized standards.
Standardization of sites would allow to reach to content over HTTP with any software, without the need for HTML browsers nor extensive HTML renderers, and neither without CSS nor ECMAScript (i.e. JavaScript), which would enable sites to be accessible to more people.
# Related
=> 2024-12-04-publishing-sites-with-pure-xml-instead-of-html-and-xhtml.gmi Publishing sites with pure XML instead of HTML and XHTML
=> 2025-07-03-rivista-to-be-atom-based-publishing-system.gmi Rivista to be Atom-based publishing system
=> 2024-06-10-the-campaign-for-html5-was-a-war-against-xml-and-interoperability.gmi The campaign for HTML5 was a war against XML and interoperability
Source: gemini://woodpeckersnest.space/~schapps/journal/2025-07-05-standardization-of-http-sites.gmi
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slammingprogramming commentedon Aug 11, 2025
Thanks for sharing your ACE (Atom Centric Elevation) standard and the detailed background on XML-based accessible publishing. I appreciate the effort to rethink content publication with a focus on structural clarity, accessibility, and protocol-agnostic delivery. Your approach of leveraging Atom, Sitemap, OPML, and XSLT to create navigable, XML-centric publications that work seamlessly over HTTP and various P2P protocols is compelling.
This resonates strongly with some of the foundational design principles we emphasize in the Betanet project — which aims to build a fully decentralized, censorship-resistant network stack from the ground up, including transport, routing, naming, and application layers.
Some points where I see interesting synergy or parallels:
• Protocol Agnosticism: Your emphasis on delivering content over HTTP, BitTorrent, IPFS, Gemini, Gopher, and others aligns with Betanet’s layered design where the overlay mesh and transport are built to support multiple underlying protocols transparently. This flexibility is crucial for censorship resistance and broad accessibility.
• Structured, Machine-Readable Content: Using XML-based standards to structure content helps facilitate clients that are simpler and more interoperable, similar to Betanet’s goal of embedding rich semantics in naming (self-certifying IDs) and supporting diverse application paradigms over the network.
• Accessibility & Minimal Client Requirements: The ability to access content without heavy HTML or JavaScript dependencies echoes Betanet’s approach of emulating standard HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 behavior for cover traffic but enabling simplified clients to parse and render meaningful content.
• Decentralized & Federated Nature: While ACE focuses on the publication format and navigation, Betanet complements this with decentralized bootstrapping, peer discovery, and federated payments — all aimed at fostering an ecosystem where content and services can be discovered and transacted without centralized intermediaries.
I also appreciate your historical context on XML and how modern web developments arguably diverted from interoperability ideals. Your revival of XML-centric publishing and structured syndication could well be a building block for future decentralized content networks.
If you’re interested, I’d be happy to explore intersections between ACE and Betanet’s overlay and naming layers, especially regarding distributed content indexing and discovery. Standards like ACE can enhance how decentralized networks serve user-facing content while maintaining accessibility and structural integrity.
sjehuda commentedon Aug 11, 2025
sjehuda commentedon Aug 11, 2025
@slammingprogramming I have posted your analyses at gemini://woodpeckersnest.space/~schapps/journal/2025-08-10-an-analyses-of-the-benefits-of-ace.gmi