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RE: ??? (was RE: A simple guy with a simple problem)

• From: "Bullard, Claude L (Len)" <clbullar@i...>
• To: xml-dev@l...
• Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2001 15:47:39 -0600

Yes.  ASCII on the wire is simple.  
It also didn't carry the day when 
Berners-Lee looked at the problems 
of sharing research at CERN. Yes, 
I still know how to get into Pine 
and clean out a clogged mailbox.

So why isn't the solution for 
XML interoperability simple?  Too 
lofty?  Or a hard problem?  Or too 
many requirements?  Too many cooks? 
Bad spec process?  Too hard?

If the HumanML group can write simple 
requirements, they too may be successful.
Or someone with a proprietary COM object 
strapped to the IE5 browser just does it 
and tells the standards groups to go to 
the devil.  

Once upon a time all anyone needed was a 
Usenet address.  Gone the way of Google.

Mind you, I'm not campaigning for top down 
design, academic requirements, whatever.  
I'm saying, Too Much Relgion to Either Extreme 
usually fails.   A lot of the successes 
being cited are actually failing and no 
one is admitting it.  Let me cite some 
Extreme examples:

o  HTML - the Last Hope for WebKind.  Oops, XHTML. Not simple.
o  XML - The Last Hope for the Business.  Oops, no data model.  Not simple.
o  TCP/IP - ok but UDP is better when 
   you round a hill or go under a bridge.  
   Turns out the OSI guys were probably right.  UDP is simple.  
   On the other hand, it requires Not Simple props  
   if the packets get lost.
o  UNIX - loved but forlorn and  considered 
   an 'academic' system except where people have 
   already graduated and have jobs.   Not simple compared to VMS.
o  LINUX - loved but the 
   support costs too much.  One bullet or 
   car accident to one guy and even Red Hat won't 
   be able to bear the costs.  Good system; bad bet. 
   Not simple compared to installing Win2000.
o  The Web - sounds good.  The Russian Mafia 
   adores it.  Not simple once you find out what 
   it takes to build a secure application and  
   find out the performance still [expletive deleted].

And so on.  For every simple application, 
there are dozens and dozens of non-interoperable 
extensions and undocumented hacks.  It is 
good to start simple; it is better to keep a 
good team well-focused and choose according 
to well-thought through requirements.  Simple 
never stays simple.

Len 
http://www.mp3.com/LenBullard

Ekam sat.h, Vipraah bahudhaa vadanti.
Daamyata. Datta. Dayadhvam.h

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