Re: New XSL Optimization

[Paul Prescod <paul@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jonathan Borden wrote:
> 
> Agreed,
> since XSL is "Turing complete" it is not possible to determine the general
> correctness of XSL programs, for example whether such programs will have
> infinite loops etc. Might it be possible to verify a restricted set of
> conditions?

Yes, the forest automata theory proves that there is an XSL subset that is
"provable." The question is: how globally useful is this? Don't ask me
what *exactly* the theory-subset looks like. I didn't get to that part of
the (now out of print) book. Perhaps my paper will twig some graduate
student's interest.
-- 
 Paul Prescod  - ISOGEN Consulting Engineer speaking for only himself
 http://itrc.uwaterloo.ca/~papresco

Software is largely a service industry operating under the persistent
but unfounded delusion that it is a manufacturing industry. 
  -- Eric Raymond, "The Magic Cauldron: The Manufacturing Delusion"
    
http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/magic-cauldron/magic-cauldron.html


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