I beleive someone else asked this question a few weeks ago, but I
never saw it answered. Why isn't OpenSRS using the WDDX DTD instead of
rolling its own? It uses XML, it's *designed* for for moving data objects
over the internet between possibly different languages, and there are
parsers for it for a number of different languages already (Perl and Java
I beleive are officially supported, PHP unofficially).
By using a custom DTD, you do get more control of what data you're
passing around. But you're also doubling up the work that's already
been done by another, larger group of people. In a year, there will be
fewer bugs in the WDDX spec and implementation than in OpenSRS. Instead
of having developers spending time singlehandedly implementing and
maintaining all of this custom code, they could be developing higher
level (read: more profitable) bits of infrastructure.
I understand that OpenSRS has a lot of time and money invested in
it's custom DTD, but keeping a proprietary format is only going to keep
costing more money and more time in the future as you continue to
maintain the DTD and associated code. In addition, people like me who
absolutely *require* their client to be in a language other than perl, and
are limping along unable to fully integrate OpenSRS into their businesses,
will be much happier customers.
Just my two shiny pebbles and a feather.
-mike
--
"If I should take a notion to jump into the ocean
Tain't nobody's bizness if I do"
-- Billie Holiday
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Key ID = 1024D/9A256AE5 1999-11-13 Mike Glover <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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