Re: [xsl] Cocoon

[Wendell Piez <wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

At 06:49 AM 7/1/2008, Andrew wrote:
> > The biggest con with Cocoon is managing the beast. Cocoon 2.2 does
> > configuration/application management better, but it has fewer (stable)
> > features.
> >
> > I can give you a better assessment if you give me more info on XProc and
> > what you are trying to do.
>
> It's just that someone told me they were thinking of using Cocoon for
> a project and my initial reaction was "don't do that"... based on
> nothing more than sentiment and distant memory of people complaining
> about it (sorry Cocoon!)

I didn't speak up on this thread at first, since the OP asked about 
large-scale systems, and I have done only small-scale and 
demonstration systems.

Nonetheless I do use Cocoon and generally like it very much. For 
example, I have http://www.xmlshoestring.com/Sonneteer/, which I use 
as a teaching application.

What I don't like about Cocoon is that once in a while you get into a 
sticky problem with an edge case, which requires a workaround. Then, 
either you use a workaround suggested by the gurus (whom I have found 
to be helpful and responsive) -- which may require a deep 
understanding of arcana to understand (and I'm allergic to 
workarounds I don't understand) -- or you have to engineer your own 
workaround (taking you deeper into the arcana). I could give a couple 
of examples, but they're tedious. If one spends plenty of time with 
the application and/or has the proper sort of background, I imagine 
much of this stuff might iron out. But I'm speculating there.

On the plus side, Cocoon has a wide range of functionality, it does a 
lot, and what it does it does very well. Assuming I was confident I 
wouldn't have to push the edges too hard, I'd happily use Cocoon for 
up to medium-scale systems, and for larger systems if I could engage 
the expertise to help. When done right, these sites can be very low 
maintenance, while offering huge leverage in XML/XSLT-based 
scalability/extensibility.

I'm also looking forward to using XProc quite a bit, but more as an 
Ant replacement (or a replacement for custom lightweight pipelining 
implemented in Saxon) than as a Cocoon replacement.

> Personally I sometimes think that for all the initial gains you get
> from using something like Cocoon you lose further into the project
> when you have to workaround the limitations/quirks of the system...

Andrew has a point here -- but it's hardly the only occasion you'll 
be facing this particular risk.

Cheers,
Wendell



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Wendell Piez                            mailto:wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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