Subj : XML
To : Jesper S�rensen
From : Jan Vermeulen
Date : Sun Jan 05 2003 05:53 pm
Quoting Jesper S�rensen on Sat 4 Jan 2003 23:55 to Jan Vermeulen:
js> If I've understood the proposals correctly the ESLF will add some
js> keyword/value lines before or after each nodelist line. That means
js> we'll be doing both line-based CSV parsing and keyword/value
js> parsing. (Hooray! ;-) A pure keyword/value format would be cleaner
js> and simpler.
Agreed but it will break downwards compatibility.
js> The SLF/ESLF format is difficult to use in other forms than the
js> traditional text file.
That is its advantage ;-)
js> With some work, the nodelist can be imported into e.g. a database table,
js> but handling the diffs is very difficult.
Deleting and adding records was already possible with DBASE1 at the Jet
Propulsion Laberatory, so I do not see what would be the problem, unless you
spread your fields all over the place.
js> The fact that you don't need such things right now
js> doesn't mean that noone else need it either.
Until now I have not got the problem list I have asked for (not you).
JV>> ESLF will contain all data one ever would need; XML may extract
JV>> whatever it needs.
js> Yes, it's certainly possible to include much more data in the
js> nodelist using different tweaks, but it will not be as pure and
js> simple as a real keyword/value format. Since every piece of
js> software that wants to use the new data needs to be rewritten we
js> could as well take a bigger step and fix other issues as well.
In time we should, but let's break one glass a time. Repair is easier that
way and we might avoid the slogan that says "All known bugs have been replaced
by entirely new ones."
js> BTW, I hope ESLF will use UTF-8 or something similar...?
Sure. Bytes 0x20 thru 0x7F plus EOF. We'll tackle your name later ;-)
JV>> The problem seems to be that the XML developers do not see how
JV>> they could extract that data. As if string parsing would be a PITA
JV>> (even BASIC could do that in the early eighties...).
js> I've written lots of text parsers in many different languages but
js> that doesn't mean that I always enjoyed it.
If you want to write code for the net, you first should look at what the
net needs and will able to use; your joy should come from a job well done, not
of the coding itself. That is very much secondary.
js> In some languages text parsing is a lot easier than in others...
Don't tell me...
-=<[ JV ]>=-
* Origin: The Poor Man's Workstation -- Wormerveer NL (2:280/100)
