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Bob Foster wrote:
> A reasonable pov, probably represents the majority, I just don't agree
> with it. A barrier to entry is a barrier to entry. The fact that it's
> hard to write an XML parser means it's hard to understand how to use
> XML, too.
This doesn't necessarily follow. There are cases where the difficulty of
parsing XML is in sync with the difficulty of authoring it (parameter
entity references come to mind). However, there are also cases where the
difficulty of parsing XML is a direct result of making it easier to
author and read. The matching of start-tags to end-tags is such an
example. As has been pointed out elsewhere, this cause problems for
certain kinds of grammars and parser generators. Yet it's a crucial part
of making XML easier to use then SGML was.
The bottom line is I don't find any arguments based on the difficulty of
parsing XML to be really compelling, given that we have existence proofs
that correct, efficient parsing of XML is possible.
--
Elliotte Rusty Harold elharo@metalab.unc.edu
XML in a Nutshell 3rd Edition Just Published!
http://www.cafeconleche.org/books/xian3/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0596007647/cafeaulaitA/ref=nosim
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