configuration files

[David Leimbach]

On Dec 11, 2003, at 7:16 PM, Christopher Weimann wrote:

On 12/11/2003-12:46PM, Dave Leimbach wrote:
If such a toolset existed I think all reasons to not use XML would be
gone.
But what are the resons TO use XML?

many pre-written parsers is a good reason :).  The ability to use a good
DOM tool to update/modify any XML document is pretty nice too.
If these reasons don't appeal to you don't use it :).  There is a lot of
stuff I don't use but I don't question its usefulness or suitability 
just
because I haven't used it before.  [I just finished installing Plan9
as a matter of fact... I don't know anyone personally who uses it for
anything... but people seem to like it for some things so I am giving
it a whirl.  In order for me to think outside the box... I have to 
break out
of the one I am in first and look around no matter how comfortable
it may seem.]

I have always viewed XML as more of an interchange format.  If you
aren't going to exchange data with somebody why do you need to use
that type of format?  Right now rc.conf for example is effectively
a shell script.  I find that very useful.  I source /etc/rc.conf
in shell scripts and firewall scripts all the time.

XML is not merely an interchange format... its also a great intermediate
way to store data that will always be parseable somehow.  You've got 
about
20+ parsers at your fingertips pre-written that can handle it.  To make 
sense
of it you use a DTD or a Schema.

Having XML allows you do do Queries via XPath.  There is a lot of XML 
based
technology opened up to you when you use it.  XSLT can transform the 
data into
other formats.

I really don't care if we use XML for configuration files at all... I 
just don't think its
a horrible idea provided I don't have to key it in by hand.

I can also think of more reasons to use it than not to use it.... 
that's somewhat
compelling.  But then again I don't *need* it.

Dave