XML API specification

[Peter Newcomb]

> References: <v03007803af3cbf484983@[128.148.19.149]>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> Date: Fri, 28 Feb 1997 13:50:22 -0500
> From: dgd at cs.bu.edu (David Durand)
> Sender: owner-xml-dev at ic.ac.uk
> Precedence: bulk
> Reply-To: dgd at cs.bu.edu (David Durand)
> 
> At 11:53 AM -0600 2/28/97, Len Bullard wrote:
> >David Durand wrote:
> >>
> >> I see XML-groves and XML-API as parallel and needing to be in synch. I
> >> don't see either as having to depend on the other, though, and frankly,
> >> given the relative penetration of groves and Java into the "global
> >> developer consciousness", I don't see groves as that high a priority.
> >
> >If relative penetration is important, spec it in COBOL or C.
> >
> >This kind of argument went on in VRML and was wisely rejected.
> >The commitment to a CORBA IDL is a commitment to a syntax for the spec
> >and not a lot else.
> 
> If Gavin's information is correct (and I assume it to be so) this is false.
> IDL means that we get language-specific bindings for several languages
> including Java and C++, simply by applyiing an automated tool. So there are
> concrete technical advantages to using IDL, though we must apply those
> tools for the programmers, so that I don't have to find an IDL tool to use
> XML with my Java codebase.

Grove schemas (property sets) can also be automatically
translated/compiled to provide interface declarations in any language.
We do this at TechnoTeacher to create documentation-compatible
interfaces to groves stored in different ODBMSs, as well as to be able
to provide access to those groves from different languages and
environments.  IDL, Java, and C++ can all be generated easily from the
same property set.

It is not necessary that developers using these APIs (in IDL, Java,
C++, etc.) know about groves or property sets.  However, if there is
one canonical form of the API (the property set), a developer that
learned his way around the API in C++ will not be confused if he is
subsequently required to use the API in Java, Scheme, SQL, etc.

-peter

--
Peter Newcomb                           TechnoTeacher, Inc.
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