Re: Updated Benchmark Available

Subject: Re: Updated Benchmark Available
From: Alexey Gokhberg <alexei@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 09 Oct 2000 01:24:01 +0200
Paul Tchistopolskii wrote:

>
> ... The topic "is  XSLT fast enough"  is in fact
> very tricky and requires long discussion ...
> 

Sure. 

But I beleive that this has more to do with the implementation, than
with the XSLT specification itself. From some point of view, XSLT could
play for XML the same role as SQL plays for relational data. In
particular, in both cases the sophisticated optimization techniques are
needed to achieve the reasonable performance. I am pretty sure, in the
near future we will see the new generation of optimized XSLT processors.

Indeed, I am concerned more with the topic "is developing stylesheets
with XSLT fast enough". As I can understand, XSL was concieved as a
declarative language that does not require substantial programming
skills from the stylesheet authors. However, as we could see so far,
implementation of many relatively simple algorithms may require advanced
LISP-like methods. Who knows how much man-hours will be spent for doing
in XSLT things that could be easily done in other languages? and how
many people will experience difficulties mastering XSLT? Yes, there are
few XSLT gurus on the Web, they are glad to help everyone, but is their
summary manpower sufficient to support the industrial use of XSLT across
the world?

Please, understand me correctly. I appreciate XSLT technology very much
(having invested a lot in it), but I am really afraid that if the
usability issues will be not successfully resolved, XSLT can die very
soon, despite those bright ideas that form the basis of this technology.

>
>> But anyway, why should not we consider the original posting in this
>> thread as what it really is - as the smart announcement of Napa?
>
> That's another story. 
>

Yes, it is about "marketing", not about XSL ...

>Of course it was not a benchmark, but
> announcement of Napa with attempt to explain why the heck
> should we pay attantion to yet another XSLT implementation. I don't
> actually find it smart, because only not-experienced moron
> will buy that  'Napa is very fast - that's why! Look at this 'benchmark' '
> and from my point of view targeting on not-experienced morons is
> not smart. But maybe it is wise. ;-)
> 

... but whether it is smart or just wise, it got the point - it
attracted much more attention than the ordinary announcement could do.
This is like a street fight - nobody will judge how refined is your
technique, only the final result is important.

Regards,

Alexey


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