Re: XSD feature check-lists

----- Original Message From: <noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com>
> Pete Cordell writes:
>
>> Therefore, it isn't necessarily
>> appropriate to extrapolate what has
>> worked well for XML to XML schema.
>
> I'm not worried so much about the implementers as the users.  XML Schema
> is no more complex to implement well than languages like, say, Java. Would
> you feel good if JavaSoft promoted a checklist so that vendors could say,
> I don't support:

I can't speak too much about the conformance of Java compilers, but I know a
few C++ compilers have had their problems.  (I would say they are way more
complex than even XSD!)  My point is that, although 100% conformance in
everything would be nice, reality often doesn't achieve that ideal.  Just
because you don't know where the holes are, doesn't mean they aren't there!

Further, I don't think a check list that allows a vendor to say "I don't
support X" makes it OK not to support X!  I can't see a potential customer
looking down a list saying, "they don't support X, but since they've
mentioned it in the list, we'll buy it anyway."

I think vendors that had bad feature coverage would be worried about such a
list.  I don't think they'd be saying, "great, this allows us to sell our
badly conforming product."

I do agree, as mentioned by Michael Kay, that the list might have to be too
long to be useful.  After all, if it ends up being as complex as the schema
spec, nothing will have been gained!  I mentioned a figure of 150 points max
in a previous e-mail.  On reflection, I don't feel comfortable that a useful
list could be produced with that number of points, so it would seem like
this is not an appropriate way to go.

Pete.
--
=============================================
Pete Cordell
Tech-Know-Ware Ltd
                         for XML to C++ data binding visit
                         http://www.tech-know-ware.com/lmx
                         (or http://www.xml2cpp.com)
=============================================

Received on Thursday, 4 August 2005 17:11:35 UTC