RE: About the source library

["Didier PH Martin" <martind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Normand,

I cannot speak in the name this message author but will express my own
opinion on this subject.

a) XSL lacks a procedural language. Actually the "function" support is
insufficient for a lot of tasks. Just take an example from this morning.
Someone posted a DSSSL script that removes trailing spaces. XSL won't be
able to do that until complete integration of a procedural language or an
expression language (the actual JavaScript inclusion is too limited)
b) You'll never be able to transform SGML documents. XSL is for XML only.
Off course if we make the inference that SGML will disappear and that XML
will cover the planet. This feature is obsolete and unnecessary. And we'll
also have to make the inference that Hytime will disappear and that topic
maps will be a death born child.

Otherwise, I should say that some features of XSL are well designed and that
the grove access (hoops sorry, the DOM tree) is even easier and more
versatile than with DSSSL. So, what's actually lacking is the expression
language or a language that allows full manipulation of the document's
elements. The question is: how long will it take for XSL to have a full
expression language or that a procedural language like JavaScript can have
full access to the document's elements? Or will it ever do?

This is also why improving the DSSSL expression language is so important.
This is actually the main point of differentiation and this is the main
DSSSL advantage.

regards
Didier PH Martin
mailto:martind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.netfolder.com

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-dssslist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:owner-dssslist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Norman Walsh
Sent: Monday, May 03, 1999 1:59 AM
To: dssslist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: About the source library


| Despite all the hype around SML + XSL (which may well transform the way
| we write web pages), SGML + DSSSL is still a much more powerful system.

In what ways? Assuming the XSL formatting object spec matures,
and I think it will, what features do you think are lacking?

                                        Cheers,
                                          norm
--
Norman Walsh <ndw@xxxxxxxxxx>      | So, are you working on finding
http://nwalsh.com/                 | that bug now, or are you leaving
                                   | it until later? Yes.


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