----boundary-LibPST-iamunique-927004625_-_-
Content-type: text/plain
> What alternative would you suggest? Are there any?
>
XML has become something of a Procrustean bed, and many applications have
been forced to fit into it, when it was not designed to fit them.
If its original purpose was to be a language for data interchange then a
better alternative for most purposes is EBNF. It may be that EBNF is not
well-suited for languages that are not LL(1) and XML may be better for those
(I am not qualified to know for sure), but even if this is the case I am
sure that some other variant of BNF would be far better.
XML is also being touted for databases and query languages, but it is no
better, and probably even worse, than a reformulation of the old hierarchic
(or at best network) models of data, which were thoroughly routed by Codd et
al. over 30 years ago. Unfortunately our industry has no memory, and equates
'new' with 'better'. A better alternative is the relational model (but not
SQL).
Also unfortunately XML now has a great deal of momentum which cannot be
ignored, and something better like EBNF will probably never displace it for
the same reasons that Oberon & CP will never displace the likes of C#, VB
etc.
Whenever I think of XML, I think of Dijkstra's comments about COBOL, which
apply equally:
"with respect to COBOL you can really do only one of two things: fight the
disease or pretend that it does not exist"
"COBOL is for morons"
"The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be
regarded as a criminal offence"
Regards,
Bob
--- BlackBox
--- send subject HELP or UNSUBSCRIBE to blackbox{([at]})nowhere.xy
----boundary-LibPST-iamunique-927004625_-_-
Content-type: application/rtf
Content-transfer-encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="rtf-body.rtf"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==
----boundary-LibPST-iamunique-927004625_-_---
Received on Sun May 21 2006 - 22:39:52 UTC