> Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 06:17:33 +0100
> From: "Matthew J. Dovey" <[log in to unmask]>
>
> > > Very 1990s, don't you think?
>
> No - very web, where you'll find URL's pointer to stuff all over the
> place...

What could be more 1990s than the web? :-)

> > > The world has moved on from this model, IMO, and not being able
> > > to gracefully cope with large records is going to be an
> > > increasingly significant failing. -Everything- is going XML,
> > > for better or worse, and XML isn't a compact data format.
> > > Having to return only short metadata records is, again IMO, an
> > > extremely short sighted decision that will hinder take up worse
> > > than a single, optional, parameter that references a well
> > > defined, well understood and broadly implemented standard.
> >
> > I couldn't have said it better myself.
>
> But I thought that Rob's raison d'etre for this xPath thing was that
> your client couldn't cope with servers returning large XML
> records(something about it blitzing mozilla off the map) ;-)

No, I think the meta-raison is to achieve _flexibility_, so that the
protocol does not restrict us to any one model of How To Do Stuff. We
should not mandate either than large records Must or Must Not be sent
over the wire -- that's for application profilers to decide. Our task
is to provide a protocol that's flexible enough to meet their needs.

> I'd like to answer "yes" too - but I'd prefer to be able to do so,
> so that they wo'n't then look at what we've done and say "very
> clever, but that doesn't actually solve our requirements. Never
> mind, we'll do our own thing".

Agreed.

But I claim that the burden of proof lies with you to show that XPath
does _not_ meet this requirement. Speaking as a non-expert, it looks
to me like it does meet the need, admirably.

 _/|_ _______________________________________________________________
/o ) \/ Mike Taylor <[log in to unmask]> http://www.miketaylor.org.uk
)_v__/\ "Anyone can see that Michael Owen represents Carlsberg
         and Reebok. But you'd need binoculars to notice that he
         also plays for Liverpool" -- George Monbiot, writing in
         the _Guardian_

--
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