[XML-SIG] DOM API

[uche.ogbuji@fourthought.com]

I've stayed out of the "justify the DOM" argument because I'm not really 
interested in it.  I like the DOM, I find it powerful and useful, and I use it 
in many places.  I can't help it if others feel the contrary, and I'm not in 
the mood for an emacs/vi, gnome/kde type debate.  However, I am particularly 
puzzled by a couple of comments.

> I believe that the notion of build/generate via the DOM is bogus. It
> seems you agree :-), and that print or file.write is more appropriate.
> Fredrik has some utility objects to do it. All fine. The DOM just blows
> :-)

Build/generate is explicitly outside the scope of the present DOM, so I don't 
see how the latter conclusion follows from the first sentence.

> I could care less about compatibility. I'm trying to write an
> application here. Geez... using your viewpoint: if I wanted
> compatibility, then maybe I should use Java or C since everybody else
> uses that.

It's important to note that many of us _are_ successful building applications 
based on the DOM, and I agree with Paul that the DOM's extraordinary success 
is ample proof against the DOM's being broken for practical use.  For example, 
at FourThought, we've had cause to evaluate commercial Databases with DOM 
support, and the answer is increasingly "all of them".  Now one thing I'll say 
in my observation of DB vendors: one or two of them always adopt the latest 
fad, but you never find such large-scale adoption of a technology in the 
glacial DB world unless there is real merit.

And I say the above even keeping in mind my disappointment with the slow 
adoption of ODMG/OQL.


-- 
Uche Ogbuji
FourThought LLC, IT Consultants
uche.ogbuji@fourthought.com	(970)481-0805
Software engineering, project management, Intranets and Extranets
http://FourThought.com		http://OpenTechnology.org