From: Chad Fowler <chad@...>
Date: 2003-10-03T00:17:49+09:00
Subject: Re: xml in Ruby

On Thu, 2 Oct 2003, paul vudmaska wrote:

# Basically it is an attempt to roll xml as a native
# type into ecmascript. I'd suggest Ruby could benefit
# and set itself apart by doing so. Following is my own
# quick and dirty Ruby'd version of the above.(you might
# want to check it out first)
# 

<snip/>

Pretty much everything you've mentioned here is possible with REXML 
already.  The only thing I can see that isn't possible is the built-in XML 
syntax.  I can't see how hard-wiring XML as a part of Ruby's syntax 
provides much of a benefit at all.  It would be fashionable (though not 
really all that fashionable these days), but barring that it's just more 
baggage to carry around.  

# There's plenty of room for rolling more
# organic/programic/rubylike approaches to style than
# xsl into Ruby(particulary considering Ruby's iters and
# blocks). I'm not sure this is the wisest approach, and
# think people like Michael Kay(an xsl guru) might point
# out the folly of this. And keeping to a standard would
# be good for a product such as Ruby but it sure is
# intersting...at least to me.
# 

Interesting in the same way that Lojban is interesting 
(http://www.lojban.org). :)

# So now we've
# 1) done what javascript might be doing but totally 
# trumped them with (ruby)style.
# 2) added a feature that python and perl can only wish
# for

Are we playing sports or writing programming languages?  I didn't know it 
was a competition.  Who are the enemies?  Is anyone on our team?

# 3) created an internal common data structure that is
# similar to the array, hash and struct but is sometimes
# better and certainly more portable/readable.

more readable?  
<list><item>blah</item><item>blah2</item><item>lkjsdf</item></list> 
vs. 
["blah", "blah2", "lkjsdf"]

# 4) now a native type, we can import/export data to
# whatever speaks xml without worrying about
# implementation.

With REXML in the distribution you can already do this.  Just requires a 
few more keystrokes.

# 5) have an inherent mechanism for seperating duties
# <important>within code</important>- ie data from style

But you've now joined a data representation format to a language.  Where 
would you rather have coupling?


# Whatcha think? Can i count on this by 1.8.1? ;->
# 

No offense intended, but I hope not :)