> I must jump to Joseph's defense here. I think ColdFusion > framework developers became infatuated with XML a few years > ago -- starting with XML fusedocs -- and it's gotten out of hand. > > I don't understand what was wrong with simpler text-based formats, > such as the java properties file and windows ini file.
As someone who could be accused of being infatuated with XML, I can list some justifications for my feelings. I like using XML in general because I can use it the same way no matter what programming language I'm using. It's portable knowledge, and I can use many different tools to work with it. I don't have to worry about parsing or validation, that's all taken care of for me. So, while it's more complex, most of that complexity is hidden from me and works in my favor, just as the complexity of a car makes it generally easier for me to use than a bicycle, which of course is a much simpler machine. > I thought that a config file should only specify details; it > should not implement business logic. And I thought that's why > config file formats tended to be so constrained. The idea of an > eXtensible format for config files seems backwards to me. That has nothing to do with the file format; you could build a configuration file that contained conditional logic without using XML. That's all up to the application reading the file and acting upon that file's data. Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software http://www.figleaf.com/ Fig Leaf Software provides the highest caliber vendor-authorized instruction at our training centers in Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, Northern Virginia, or on-site at your location. Visit http://training.figleaf.com/ for more information! ---------------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to cfcdev. To unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected] with the words 'unsubscribe cfcdev' as the subject of the email. CFCDev is run by CFCZone (www.cfczone.org) and supported by CFXHosting (www.cfxhosting.com). An archive of the CFCDev list is available at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
