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Re: s-expressions and XML was Re: terra incognita

• To: <xml-dev@l...>
• Subject: Re: s-expressions and XML was Re: terra incognita
• From: Gavin Thomas Nicol <gtn@r...>
• Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2001 14:15:41 -0500
• In-reply-to: <062c01c187d3$180bf2d0$0a2e249b@n...>
• Organization: Red Bridge Interactive, Inc.
• References: <022d01c186e1$3fa7ce10$0500a8c0@carnage> <015c01c18790$390a47e0$6800000a@b...> <062c01c187d3$180bf2d0$0a2e249b@n...>

On Tuesday 18 December 2001 09:48 am, Jonathan Borden wrote:
> Regarding objects vs. data (which is where we started), the prime
> distinction is between opacity and translucency. When objects are well
> described, and their state can be described by the getter setter properties
> in their interfaces, as data objects they can be translucent. Object
> _methods_ however are generally opaque -- the implementation hides behind
> an interface. 

I actually think this is a weakness in many languages. Java had reflection 
added to address some of the issues here.

> Contrast LISP and XSLT, whose method implementations can be
> fired across the wire (in a perfect world) for remote execution.

I would argue that this is precisely the most powerful kind of remote 
execution. 

> XML might be more generally represented using something akin to an
> s-expression notation by introducing delimeters for an unordered set '['
> and ']' and then we can represent:
>
> <foo aaa="111" bbb="222" ccc="333">
>     <bar ddd="444"/>
>     <baz/>
>     <bop eee="555">
>         <bing/>
>     </bop>
> </foo>

If you have a look at XEXPR, this blurs the distinction between attributes 
and elements for passing in parameters. It's somewhat LISPish (and did the 
scheme guys flame me! ;-))

• References:
  • Re: terra incognita
    • From: "Dare Obasanjo" <kpako@y...>
  • Re: terra incognita
    • From: David Brownell <david-b@p...>
  • s-expressions and XML was Re: terra incognita
    • From: "Jonathan Borden" <jborden@m...>

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