Re: Style vs. transformation

["Brad McCormick, Ed.D." <bradmcc@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Frank Boumphrey wrote:
> 
> >>If I implemented XSL with Python as its expression
> language would I be cast into utter darkness...<<
> 
> No, but isn't XSL meant to be for the HTML crowd, 98% of whom know something
> about Javascript, and 1% of whom know about Python?
> 
> My understanding is that XSL was implemented because DSSSL-0 was too
> complicated for the average web author.
> Frank
[snip]

I think there is an interesting point here: When is something
too complicated for somebody?  And when is it that persons can't
figure something out because, yes, it is not "transparent" (to use
Kofi Annan's(sp?) lovely word), but the real source of the problem
lies in THE THINGS'S NOT BEING DOCUMENTED LUCIDLY?

Most data processing concepts do not require advanced study
in logic and mathematics to understand, even things like 
OOPS (oops! -- my lack of political correctness is showing...)
and DS+L\-\d? .  But rarely is the stuff spelled out in monosyllables,
with baby-step examples provided from beginning to end, and
lots of judiciously formatted white-space....  

Especially in our
"free market" social world, it should be obvious that we need to
make the ideas/things we think are of value be so appealing to persons
who
have no prior motivation to be interested in them, that the persons will
spontaneously develop a passion for the ideas/things. 

It took me close to half a day to figure out what was going on with
the documentation on the Microsoft XSL site

         http://www.microsoft.com/xml/xsl/

which may be due to my being stupid and/or ignorant and/or incipiently
senescent, but which I think more likely is due to a lack of
rhetorical skill and motivation among the persons who paid for
and produced this material (which, "objectively", *is* pretty
good -- in the sense that, if you work hard enough, there's
a lot of good information there -- but one shouldn't have to
*work* so hard --> esp. after the "computer revolution" 
has liberated us...)....

As a friend of mine who is both a highly skilled programmer
and also an insightful human being, said:

        Everything we do is the same thing: we learn
        more about who we are.

\brad mccormick

-- 
   Mankind is not the master of all the stuff that exists, but
   Everyman (woman, child) is a judge of the world.

Brad McCormick, Ed.D. / bradmcc@xxxxxxxxxx
(914)238-0788 / 27 Poillon Rd, Chappaqua, NY 10514-3403 USA
-------------------------------------------------------
<!THINK [SGML]> Visit my website ==> http://www.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/


 XSL-List info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list