From: Tom Christiansen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>
> >- Done right, it could be easier to write and maintain
>
> Strongly disagree.
Ok, you disagree. There are differing opinions here. Can we agree to
disagree? Or must all people who believe XML is easier to write and maintain
leave the room?
Oh... and don't forget to mention or acknowledge areas where a common ground
might be reached. Lets only focus on negative things shall we?
Garrett Goebel wrote:
> In the end, all that I'd like to see is the ability to
> churn out DocBook documentation from whatever intermediary
> notation is used. That doesn't require changing anything,
> just adding a new pod2docbook tool. So while I "like" the
> idea of adopting XML as an addition to POD... There's no
> driving need that it fulfills.
Before I was strongly in the "why bother" camp. Now I'm shifting toward the
"why not let people chose?". The change of heart is probably an irrational
response to hearing all dissenting opinions crapped on. Give me 24 hours and
I'll probably be back to "why bother".
Horror of horrors: why not support both? Long live: TMTOWTDI. If XML
documentation fails to thrive, cut it from Perl 6.1. If both thrive, keep
'em. As everyone has said XML can be converted to pod and vice versa. Pod
tools could be made to coexist with XML.
The more militantly people state TIOMWTDI (There Is Only My Way To Do It),
the more I hear the opinions of others in a postive light. I agreed and do
agree that there is no driving need to support use of xml to annotate
scripts. But to quote you out of context concerning your violent opposition
to anything other than pod:
> I guarantee you that you will drive people away with this crap.
Tom Christiansen wrote:
> >- Standard elements could be defined and utilized with the
> > same or greater ease than pod for build and configuration.
>
> ></pod>
[...]
> ></pod>
>
> That is an excellent description of why THIS IS COMPLETE
> MADNESS.
Being able to parse for well-definedness, DTD validation, and schema
constraints are postive things. Also, I imagine it'd be easier for xml to
grow to meet future unforeseen needs.
I find debugging pod to be a nuisance and the error messages to be vague and
unhelpful. Then again, pod is so darn easy it doesn't talk long to debug
anyway.
Just because XML wouldn't win any contests for brevity or beauty doesn't
qualify it for being commited to a sanitarium.
Garrett
