XML DTD for the package configuration file

[John Meacham]

On Wed, Oct 15, 2003 at 01:53:11PM +0200, Daan Leijen wrote:
> Although creating package description files in XML
> sounds neat, it also sounds like over-design at this
> stage. Why don't we use Haskell *values* to describe
> the packages? If we describe packages just like ghc-pkg
> is doing, as a Haskell record, we get:
> 
> - very simple code for reading and writing those
> - syntax that is understood by all haskell programmers
> - optional elements (by using records)
> - list elements (by using lists)
> 
> 
> Might be not as powerful as using XML, but it might
> be just right for the thing we are trying to do.

I strongly strongly agree with this. XML is almost always the wrong way
to go. I have been involved with several projects where for one reason
or another we jumped on the XML bandwagon and have always been
disapointed by the results. and excising XML once it has made headway
into a project is no small task.
        John

-- 
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John Meacham - California Institute of Technology, Alum. - john at foo.net
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