Subject: Re: [xsl] The real harm is in functions with side effects (Was: Re: Using Extension Functions - Its Efficiency) From: "Mike Haarman" <mhaarman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2004 01:29:25 -0600 |
----- Original Message ----- From: "Dimitre Novatchev" <dnovatchev@xxxxxxxxx> > > "Joshua Allen" <joshuaa@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message > news:0E36FD96D96FCA4AA8E8F2D199320E52BA807D@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > Well, doing so partially defeats the purpose of using XSLT, since it > > means your stylesheets will not work in many other systems. It begs the > > question, if you find that Java is needed, then why use XSL at all? Why > > not just write the app in Java? If one is already working in an infrastructure supporting transformations, an extension can take advantage of working with a parsed object and established (and possibly memory resident) stylesheets and write just the code required to supply what is wanted. > Portability is not the main issue with using extension functions. > The portability of the message is the significance of XML. The portability of stylesheets is often a secondary concern. Local processing of the message is often dependent on local requirements. > In many cases an application is designed to work only within a certain known > platform/environment (e.g. intranet), which is not going to change. While *not going to change* is a forceful and often mistaken assumption, there are obvious examples within a discrete application. Outward facing stylesheets prefer portability, inward facing ones, such as those intended to improve data-hiding and encapsulation, usually have a controlled execution environment. > We need to have a special section in the XSLT FAQ about extension functions > and why functions with side effects are generally harmful in a functional > language. Dimitre, could you refer us to a general discussion or monograph which illustrates the problems for functional languages, not specific to XSLT. I understand that the absence of side effects is a design goal for functional languages. Beyond provability and state reliability, are there any other challenges? A better understanding of the danger allows for an improved assessment of risk. Mike XSL-List info and archive: http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list
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