> However, it doesn't necessarily mean that it can't generate the XML, > rather than a binary-compatible format that Jeremy was suggesting. An > XML document will always be more portable between versions than a > generated bunch of code, because when bugs are fixed in the latter you > have to regenerate, whereas with an XML file you don't. >
Please do not think I am thinking binary is the only way to go - that notion was discarded back in EJB1.0 days. What I want is to have it as an option. For example, parsing the XML with full schema validation is a dog - on my machine even a simple file takes a couple of seconds and a couple of MB and I am concerned about a) large applications with hundreds of modules taking forever to start, and b) applications trying to run with constrained resources. And yes, we do need to consider these things :-) We have also had proposals for storing configuration information in LDAP respositories and relational databases, neither of which would allow vi-style access to the XML. A binary format may well be a better option for them. Think of it like JSP: some people want to pre-compile, and this is *very* common in production environments. -- Jeremy
