Re: [xsl] Rexsel — A simpler way of writing XSLT — thinking in trees

["Liam R. E. Quin liam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <xsl-list-service@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sun, 2024-06-30 at 22:19 +0000, Graydon graydon@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> On Sun, Jun 30, 2024 at 10:06:01PM -0000, Liam R. E. Quin
> liam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx scripsit:
> > A companion question is also interesting though - an
> > XSLT that is useful for, and appeals to, curly-brace-programming
> > people? [...]
>
> [...] the degree to which the syntax is the problem is always
> small; the actual problem is thinking in trees,B 

Years ago LISP people used to say, the syntax isnbt important; the hard
part is thinking in lists. It wasnbt true then, either :-)

Yes, thinking in trees can be hard, but in order for people to
experience this they have to get past the syntax.

Or to quote from the Mahabarata,
`$*`%
`$0`%
`$7 `$*`%
`$0`%
`$7`%`$ `$`% `$`%
`$2`$>`$. `$,`$(`$>`$`$0
`$0`$`$$`% `$9`%`$ `$`$0 `$	`$(`%
`$9`%`$ `$*`%`$`$`$0,
`$,`$>`$`$'`$`$0 `$`$0 `$`$(`%
`$/
`$*`%
`$0`$`$>`$0 `$8`% `$,`$`$'`$(`%`$ `$.`%`$ `$,`$>`$`$'`$`$0
`$&`$?`$(-`$0`$>`$$ `$	`$(`$8`% `$`$>`$. `$`$0`$5`$>`$$`% `$9`%`$`%$
`$/`% `$2`%`$ `$*`$?`$`$>`$
`$`$0 `$`$`$`%`$0`%`$ `$.`%`$ `$`$`$!`$<`$(`% `$8`% `$9`%`$(`%
`$5`$>`$2`% `$&`$0`%
`$& `$8`% `$`$(`$-`$?`$`%
`$ `$(`$9`%`$
`$9`%`$`%$

(and the different writing system is just surface syntax, right?)

So i have a lot of sympathy for people who, not being forced to learn
XSLT, choose not to, because the syntax is unfamiliar and they donbt
perceive major benefits to them.

For those of us who _like_ XML, at least overall, or who work routinely
with complex documents, or both :), XSLT is a small step and a very
welcome one. But we have to remember that this is not universal,
strange as it sometimes seems!

liam

--
Liam Quin,B https://www.delightfulcomputing.com/
Available for XML/Document/Information Architecture/XSLT/
XSL/XQuery/Web/Text Processing/A11Y training, work & consulting.
Barefoot Web-slave, antique illustrations: B http://www.fromoldbooks.org