Re: Is it a good idea to make your WADL available?

On Sep 5, 2006, at 1:12 PM, Mark Nottingham wrote:
>
> Don't get me wrong -- I think WADL is the bee's knees, and very  
> much want to see it succeed. However, looking at the landscape of  
> possible ways it could help, and possible ways it could hurt, I'm  
> inclined to be conservative -- possibly because I'm very directly  
> accountable for the recommendations I make :)
>
It would help those of us in the business of building tools if you  
could list some ways it could hurt so we can avoid them - I have my  
own ideas of course but I'd rather not prejudice your response by  
listing them upfront.

> That's why I primarily see it as a modelling tool / convenience for  
> design time, rather than something to give to clients. Not because  
> those clients will misuse it -- as Marc pointed out earlier,  
> they'll always find some way to misuse it -- but because it will  
> lead people on the server side into the temptation of relying on it.
>
Again, could you give some examples of the harm publishing a WADL  
could do to folks working on the server side ? Given that those same  
folks are responsible for the content of the WADL I'd have thought  
some policy on what is permissible to include in a WADL would be  
sufficient to prevent any anticipated harm.

> Of course, the availability of compelling client-side tools that  
> encourage good practice might help convince me otherwise.
>
As a potential vendor of such tools I'm open to any and all  
suggestions ;-).

Marc.

---
Marc Hadley <marc.hadley at sun.com>
Business Alliances, CTO Office, Sun Microsystems.