• From: "Michael Kay" <mike@s...>
• To: "'Costello, Roger L.'" <costello@m...>,<xml-dev@l...>
• Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:17:55 -0000

> Both "normalize" and "canonicalize" seem to mean:
> 
>    Put into a standard form.
> 
> Do they in fact mean the same thing? If so, why have two 
> terms? Why not have just one term?

A canonical term, perhaps? Or a normalized one?

Yes, they mean the same thing (when used generically). Of course, particular
kinds of normalization or canonicalization use one or the other: e.g.
Unicode normalization, XML canonicalization.

>Why not have just one term?

People like inventing new words when they think an existing word already has
overloaded meanings.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/

• References:
  • Difference between "normalize" and "canonicalize"?
    • From: "Costello, Roger L." <costello@m...>