[XML-SIG] understanding the sources. wher to start?

[Paul Tremblay]

On Thu, Jun 13, 2002 at 10:50:42AM -0000, paul@boddie.net wrote:

> 
> This seems to be a big, recurring thing with PyXML, even though I've been 
> reasonably lucky never to have had problems with version conflicts and broken 
> features. However, I'm surprised it's even been possible for any books on XML 
> processing with Python to be published because of this.
> 

I completely agree that there are problems with the version
conflicts and with documentation. I also bought the O'Reilly
book (*Python & XML*). I find this book straightforward, but 
too short. For example, it handles xslt processing in around 20
pages, when it really needs to be covered in 800. 

(I have the Kay book on xslt processing called  *Xslt*, which is
literally 800 pages long and one of the best books on computers I
have bought.)

I think this thread on the lack of documentation is really a good
sign. Whether or not python suceeds in becoming a tool of choice
for prcessing xml (I'm not sure how mainsteam it is right now)
depends on readable documentation. 

In fact, good documentation is so important for all software and
all platforms. I use linux, and I am absolutely frustrated at
the terrible documentation. I often stugle with a problem for
days before finding that the solution was simple--but
undocumented, or poorly explained.

I think one reason why java is the choice for processing xml is
that you can find good, readable howtos. Sun has made sure of
this. 

On this note I would also be willing to write and submit
documentation. 

On another note, I switched from perl to python because of what
I read, which generally deprecated perl for xml processing, but
praised python. In fact, there is a series of tutorials on IBM
(I beleive), which called "charming ptyhon." I think processing
xml with  python can be "charming," but only if it is easier to
use. On the other hand, I find perl also to be kind of a mess in
regards to xml. Perl is really not a class language, and there
are so many different libraries written for xml, that I couldn't
figure out which to use.

Paul

-- 

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*Paul Tremblay         *
*phthenry@earthlink.net*
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