> Yet if they contain all the same information, using a node-set extension
> couldn't you query into them and find the further information you need to
> continue along your chain?
No--I need the *the same node*, not a copy of the node.
That is, an XPointer addresses a thing and I need the resolution of that
XPointer to return the thing, not a copy of the thing.
It's not about the information in the element, it's about the element
itself. For example, I must be able to navigate from the element
returned to its parent--I can't do this if what I get back is a copy of
the node.
Yes, this makes sense. Maybe I wasn't clear or complete enough in my question.