Re: Netscape Support for XSL - client vs server rant - for/against cocoon

Subject: Re: Netscape Support for XSL - client vs server rant - for/against cocoon
From: Dan Morrison <dman@xxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 20 May 2000 14:02:36 +1200
Niclas Hedhman wrote:
> 
> It is absolutely clear to everyone who has been
> working with context separation that <?xsl-stylesheet> DOES NOT belong in the XML
> document at all. You are introducing styling information into content, which is
> wrong.

Well I have spent much time designing online applications and content
management systems and would say no such thing. 

I'm strict about function separation, but this is no more than a
pointer, which (IMO) is allowed into a pure data structure.
The formalised xsl-stylesheet instruction, especially when qualified
with a media type parameter, is a very very useful hint when it comes to
interpreting the data in a way the producer intended. You can improve on
that or adapt, but it sure helps to have a default perspective to start
from.

> Likewise, the PI in Cocoon for selection of process pipeline (so called reactor)
> is also wrong.

This I agree with. The <?cocoon-process type="xslt"?> was intensely
backwards to my goals. As you say it was non-definitive proof of
concept, and is therefore forgiven.

> These things belong at the administration level, and has been heavily addressed
> in the upcoming Cocoon 2, which has little resemblance with Cocoon 1.x. In fact,
> it is a complete re-write.
> (I also believe that the write-up about Cocoon 2 on the web site is a bit
> outdated.)

Maybe this explains my lukewarm attitude to continuing Cocoon support.

I tried out Cocoon 1, which was impressive in its own way, but had
enough issues for me to seek other solutions. In the last few months
I've heard from postings like yours the Cocoon2 does this that & the
other, stylesheet pipelining, advanced content management, etc etc. I've
considered OK, it's worth a second look, but instead of downloading and
re-installing (which was a mission last time) I read the docs
beforehand. I've seen nothing but vapourware and vague promises on the
xml.apache website.
In fact, the website is basically off-limits to a version 3 browser (NS)
which in itself tells me the solution for my day-to-day tasks is not to
be found in this technology.

Those promises may well actually be founded in truth, but without a
(more than one page) user guide to back it up, I'm not going to
re-install blind.

No-ones fault (boy do I know what it's like keeping your own website
up-to-date) but it doesn't sell well to the once-burnt.

And I have been on the [cocoon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ->
general@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx] list (quietly) for some time now.

.dan.

:=====================:====================:
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: If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy?
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