--- Juliusz Chroboczek <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > MM> Note these arguments are the standard anti-xml > arguments given by > MM> most idots.. > > The XML proposals I've seen have been of the form > ``I've just met > Goedel in the lift, and he told me XML is a good > idea, so why don't > you folks implement XML for the server configuration > file.'' Yours is > the first half-commitment to produce a sample > implementation. > > None of us, I believe, are ``idots'' (whatever that > means).
I said the anti xml arguments were the same idotic arguments I've heard in the past about not using XML. We're > also not anti-XML, but rather sceptics who want to > see what a change > of this magnitude in habits and configuration tools > will bring. There > is no doubt that a well-documented and well-written > sample imple- > mentation accompanied with rationale would do > wonders to dissipate > some of this scepticism. > > MM> Xml provides off the shelf standard parsing and > validation > > I know that. I also know how to write /ad hoc/ > parsers (I believe > that's usually taught in third year), so I'd like to > see what exactly > using XML will buy us. Umm and you also learn how to write in assembler and in compliers and write your own hash functions and probably how to start a fire with no matches thats not a valid argument agianst using a technology. Umm namespaces for one Drivers can extend the file with there own name spaces extensions can have there own name space ... Well understood validation Config tools can be written based on the schema. I may have missed it but I did not see a BNF for the config file. > What exactly are you thinking about? Using > off-the-shelf XML parsers > in configuration tools? (Obviously.) Using XSLT > within configuration > tools? (Why not, after all?) Using some > RPC-over-HTTP-over-TCP-over-IP > for remote configuration? (Hmm.) Some other > techniques that I > haven't though of yet? Remote configs maybe a config database who knows. > > In short, don't treat us like Neanderthals who > haven't seen The One > True Way. Give us something intelligent to disagree > or perhaps even > agree with. > > MM> it usefulness is well proven in many areas. > > ... and I met Church in the lift and he told me it's > useful. > Like i said its usefulness is proven in many areas. I see no reason not to use it. It could be introduced without effecting the current parser. > MM> The XF86Config maps well to XML ... > > By design, any tree structure maps well to XML. And > any tree > structure maps well to SGML, and any tree structure > maps well to Lisp > S-Exps, and any tree structure maps well to the > XF86Config format. > > (While we're off topic, any tree structure can be > embedded within > Cantor's space, which can be shown to be isomorphic > to the real line.) > > MM> If XFree is willing to accept it in the tree its > trivial to > MM> implement. > > And it's not trivial to implement if XFree86 aren't? > Aren't you > putting something before something else, or whatever > the idiom is? Look making the change to XML is a straitforward project its enough work that doing it before there is agreement to accept it makes no sense. I don't think I'm putting the cart before the horse. A few months ago I posted a small change to the Xserver that allowed it to be compiled as a shared library.. The change has no effect on anyone else and I really would like to load the Xserver into another program. I recieved zero comment regarding this change. Therefore I'm hesitant to do any major work to support XFree86 if there is objection to its inclusion. I was able to for example get the shared lib version of XFree86 to load inside a JVM opening up the possiblilities of writing Xextensions in java. Zero intrest from the XFree list. I'm seriously considering a major fork of the server if the route I want to take it is not acceptable to XFree. If this is the case I'd really like to work out a good driver api since all I really care about is the drivers. My goal is to embbed java in the Server... __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! http://sbc.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Xpert mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://XFree86.Org/mailman/listinfo/xpert
