- From: Jim Wissner <jim@jbrix.org>
- Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2001 21:16:29 -0500
- To: www-forms@w3.org
For what it's worth, I think "forms" are underrated. I've worked on a lot of systems over the years, both before and after "the web," and a majority of them certainly have involved data viewing/manipulation/entry. A clean system such as xforms that maps these data-oriented interface bindings and components into a single XML document which can, with some ingenuity, also contain much more "traditional" GUI widgetry in definition for layout, is a nice thing indeed. I do like "fat desktop clients" such as Swing, but am also a fan of xforms. No mutual exclusion that I can see. Jim At 05:56 PM 11/5/2001 -0800, T. V. Raman wrote: >depends on what you're trying to achieve. >We definitely dont intend turning the XForms UI layer into a >windowing toolkit --the sweet spot for XForms authored >applications is the ability to deliver them to more than >just a fat (dare I say extremely obsese:-) desktop client as >is the case with traditional GUI widgetry. > >And let's not ruffle feathers unnecessarily by saying "just >form entry" or "GUI application" > >pick your poison and live with it:-) > >>>>> "Brian" == Brian Grainger <granam@shaw.ca> writes: > > Brian> At 11:23 AM 11/5/01 -0800, you wrote: > >> XForms takes this front-on by creating an application model, > >> a binding and a user interface mechanism, where the UI is > >"bound" t the application model via the binding mechanism. > > > >XUL is a fine XML based language --but its goal is to create > >UI widgetry --and UI widgets alone do not an application make. > > Brian> Thanks very much for responding to my question. > > Brian> Would it be fair to say then that XForms, at this > Brian> stage, is only for data entry and display, > Brian> whereas XUL provides data widgets, as well as the > Brian> standard range of toolbars and menu objects. > > Brian> Granted that the forms controls in XUL may not be > Brian> as elegant as with XForms, but XUL does provide > Brian> an application binding mechanism via XBL - > Brian> http://www.w3.org/TR/xbl/ > > Brian> From a developers point of view, it's hard for > Brian> me to see what extra value XForms brings to the > Brian> dance, compared with XUL. I'm certainly not > Brian> trying to disparage the excellent work being done > Brian> by the XForms Working Group. It's just that to > Brian> someone from the 'show me' school, XForms seems > Brian> to have only the very narrow capabilities of data > Brian> entry and display, compared to the full XML-GUI > Brian> approach of XUL. > > Brian> Regards, Brian > >-- >Best Regards, >--raman >------------------------------------------------------------ > >IBM Research: Human Language Technologies >Phone: 1 (408) 927 2608 >Fax: 1 (408) 927 3012 >Email: tvraman@us.ibm.com >WWW: http://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/raman >PGP: http://emacspeak.sf.net/raman.asc >Snail: IBM Almaden Research Center, > 650 Harry Road > San Jose 95120
Received on Monday, 5 November 2001 21:13:30 UTC