Ron Bourret has announced the release of a comprehensive namespaces FAQ, covering issues ranging from "what is a namespace?" to SAX and DOM namespace processing in Java.

The list of questions begins with a basic explanation of namespaces (in both XML and non-XML contexts, and then addresses issues answering questions from a number of different areas of XML development. The FAQ starts with a brief summary of what namespaces are designed to do and then drills deeper into the technical issues for both namespace use within documents and the impact of namespaces on XML processing. Programmers will find coverage of SAX1, SAX2, and DOM-based namespace processing, outlining the integration of namespaces with these APIs and providing some sample code.

While the FAQ admits that namespaces "aren't a cure of cancer, they aren't a way to win the lottery, and they aren't a direct cause of world peace.", the rest of the document outlines their use and the benefits they can bring, as well as some situations in which they may be unnecessary.