Re: [xsl] XSLT vs Perl

Subject: Re: [xsl] XSLT vs Perl
From: roger.day@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 14:16:51 +0000




Perl? Maintainability? Nah. Having maintained a Perl package of 20000 lines
for Source Code config mgt (no C or other bits involved), I would have to
disagree. I don't see XSLT doing the same job. Don't talk to me about CPAN
and module hell - that's just a swamp of random code and has nothing to do
with maintainablity.

As for Purpose, Perl  "is a language for getting your job done" (perl 5, ed
2). Just which job is that then? Text processing seems to be a minor part
of it's scope. Maybe "scope" is one of the differences - the Perl/Python
scope of action is that much larger.

The most obvious diff is that XSLT has tags but Python/Perl hasn't. I
suspect if you tried to write a SCCM system in XSLT, I wouldn't rate yr
chances for understandability, or even of surviving very long as a sane
person.



                                                                                                                                                
                      David Tolpin                                                                                                              
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>
>
> Xslt has been designed as a language with a purpose;

It was designed as a language with a purpose.

> perl has neither of these attributes, hence perl's chaotic nature and
> unmaintainabilty.

Same about perl and almost the same purpose. What about maintainability,
look at CPAN. Can XSLT dream about this volume of maintainable and usable
code?

> But I
> think, as well, it's a matter of apples and pears. An XSLT application
> would, IMO, also include Java or some other language. Perl fills in any
gap
> it can gets it's paws on,

A perl application typically includes code written in C, Java and other
languages, if needed.

> but I'd rather use python if push came to shove.

What's the difference between Python and XSLT 2.0?

David Tolpin
http://davidashen.net/

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