[XML-SIG] Re: object sites and broadcast news

[Jeffrey P Shell]

Markus Fleck wrote:
>Jeffrey P Shell wrote:
>> Scripting - http://www.scripting.com/ - Yes, home of Frontier.  But these
guys
>> do seem to have an interest in other cross-platform scripting solutions as
well.
>
>Not really. They sell their own scripting language. They are just
>interested
>in *interfacing* to Python, not really in *using* Python themselves.
>This is
>what their "RPC over XML" idea is all about.

But they do display news about other things  (I think I should have mentioned
that the name of the front-page on Scripting.com is "Scripting News", which is
_not_ "Frontier News").  It's usually things that relate in some fashion to
Frontier, but like I mentioned, Principia got a nod on their site (and Principia
could actually be viewed as competition to Frontier with its object-oriented
database and ability to run dymanic sites, et al), Hypercard gets nods, etc.  I
think they have an interest in showing what else is being done that is in the
same line as their ideas in order to give their ideas more weight.  I think
using this as an opportunity to evangelize Python is very good.  To me, Frontier
has a lot of interesting ideas, but I've never been able to grok my brain around
implementing anything with it (its interface is clumsy to me, its database
concept is strange to me, etc.).  On the other hand, I was able to pick Python
up right off the bat.  Others might feel similar.  And vice-versa.  But since
they have news about things being done with scripting languages in general, we
may as well make use of that.

Userland is trying to make a lot of noise with XML and Frontier, and that noise
is starting to get heard.  I think the Python community should do the same.

I think the concept of XML as not only RPC but as an object serialization format
holds a lot of merit.  Being able to dump out an object's data from Python into
XML and view it in MSXML, turn it into a (future) Principia XML-Document object,
treat it with XSL, and chew it up into Perl or something is really cool.  Or
even the ability to store a fairly human readable XML file for years and be able
to bring its data up into whatever the fad programming language of 2005 will be.

I don't know how strongly Python tools like HTMLGen were pushed (especially in
the hey-day).  I think Bobo and DocumentTemplate could have been (and could
still be) pushed a little bit more.  XML has good importance potential, it would
be a shame if the Python community came out with cool tools six months too late
and with little or no fanfare.  I don't think that Python should be re-geared
around XML proclaiming XML as "The Next Big Thing" (I'm still laughing at
Wired's "Everything is going to be Push, kiss your browser goodbye!" article),
but we've got some cool stuff here.  Let's make it known!

--
"Green Tony squeeled and I'm off to Galaxy X"
.jPS   jeff@Digicool.com    Digital Creations
                     http://www.digicool.com/
        "The unbeatable system engenders rot"