I didn't want to detail too much in the point of CONF files, because it
was not my main point. But it caused some balagan, so please let me
give an example of a format that is not proprietary, and on the other
hand is not XML, and still is great for developing GUI's for:
X Resources.
Does it threat anybody?
No? OK; Let's go on:
There are several requirements that are critical for creating a good
GUI.
One of them is the ability to work against a working program, and not
just a file. Because you can't just open the file, guess all the values
of "ifdefs", the default path (for "includes"), the directory that the
opedning program is in during the open, etc. When you are working
against a working program, you know its current run-time values of
these resources.
In addition, it allows you to affect its CURRENT behavior immediately,
resulting in a WYSIWYG that is so important for GUI (think "editres";
don't think "UIM/X").
Of course, you need a bidirectional mapping (i.e. not only from the
disk representation to the in-memory representation, but also vice-
versa); Otherwise, the changes can't be translated to rules of
configuration files.
You need clear definitions; Not definitions that may start anywhere in
the line, with any number of leading/trailing spaces/tabs/etc. that you
never know which are part of the value and which are not, with leveling
that is based on semi-XML directives ("</directory />"), with ambiguous
comments, with "ifdefs" that you never know if the leveling that is
hidden by them is really hidden - or only the rules inside those
levels, with too many ways to say "yes" (e.g. "tRuE", "oN", falling
back to the default, etc.) and so on.
There are many other formatting issues that ease or harden the ability
to develop a good GUI.
X Resources, contrary to ASCII CONF files (like Apache's or NAMED),
meets all these demands. Of course, it is not so friendly, but when you
have a great GUI - who cares? It is still friendly enough for hackers
like us.
Will this migration happen?
No way;
People develop Open Source for their own fun. Or for their own use (for
example, most of the core developers of Apache need it for their own
sites).
When there is a company (please don't force me to spell the name of
Redmond's companies) behind the product, they have "balls" (sorry for
the word...) and don't give a sh*t (sorry again) on their users, so
they can replace formats whenever it is important for the evolution of
their product. Of course, there are also negative cases, so please
don't give examples that Microsoft (sorry) abused this process and
replaced a good format by a bad format or broke the compatibility of a
program that was used by 100 million users.
But when the users develop the program, there are some things that they
would never do. Some of these things are bad, but improving the format
is sometimes good and needed.
P.S.
Many years ago, I developed a great GUI for X.
You could take even a binary program, and change its screens, widgets,
add more dialogs/forms/screens, etc. Fully WYSIWYG, of course.
I used it (among other uses) for localizing Netscape 3/4 (although
there were no sources), which involved not only translation, but also
new screens and forms (for example - to choose the default direction,
the default user interface language, help of the Hebrew support, etc.).
I used it also for developing callbacks (without writing one C line!)
and applying BiDi values to specific widgets (e.g. Visual/Logical).
I tried to do it for other CONF formats (e.g. Apache), but there was
no chance.
I don't care if the format is "X Resources", or database-based, or
(sorry!) registry, or even XML (though XML doesn't meet all the
demands); I just want a format that its designers/definers thought
about a front-end when they designed it, and not only on the
flexibility of users who use VI to edit it by-hand or on backward
compatibility issues.
--
Eli Marmor
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
CTO, Founder
Netmask (El-Mar) Internet Technologies Ltd.
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