Hi > Competing packages for XML or DBM is really awful, unless they happen > to be interface compatible.
Imagine two XML libraries which share the same interface. That implies that they have exactly the same design criteria, take the same view of XML files and are pretty much the same in every user visible way. The only way they can differentiate each other is in performance, so either: 1) one is ridiculously slow, the other is fast. end result, only one XML library 2) they are the same speed. the user has no benefit, but the development costs double DBM's can differentiate themselves on external database support, Data.Map's can have different amortised costs and are quite simple in terms of interface. XML is not simple and does not interface to third party programs. I can think of at least 4 XML libraries, all of which are quite different. An application that suits tagsoup will not suit HaXml, and vice versa. Thanks Neil _______________________________________________ Haskell-Cafe mailing list Haskell-Cafe@haskell.org http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/haskell-cafe
