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Re: RE: Declarative programming requires a different mindset

• From: Michael Ludwig <milu71@gmx.de>
• To: "xml-dev@lists.xml.org" <xml-dev@lists.xml.org>
• Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 22:56:49 +0200

Hi Roger,

Costello, Roger L. schrieb am 10.04.2010 um 13:28:52 (-0400)
[ RE: Declarative programming requires a different mindset]:
> 
> I continue to explore the declarative programming mindset. I've had a
> few more insights. I realized, for example, that XML Schema, RELAX NG,
> and Schematron are declarative programming languages.

The schema languages you're listing here are certainly declarative in
that you declare what you want your data to look like (instead of
painstakingly write code to walk your data and check each bit of it,
which is what the processor does for you), but they simply aren't
programming languages.

> I wrote a summary of my insights:
> 
> http://www.xfront.com/XML-Declarative-Programming/
> 
> I welcome your comments.

  "XHTML is a declarative programming language."

It's not a programming language.

In my own and personal experience, any insight into high-level concepts
such as "declarativeness" has only emerged after considerable practice,
as the result of going wrong, getting stuff done, leaning back, maybe
reflecting on things, maybe just experiencing a revelation.

Personally, again, I would say that it's okay to proceed like that: Work
and practice, don't care too much about theoretical insight; it will
eventually come to you just naturally as the result of reflection once
you've practiced enough.

But YMMV, of course :-)
-- 
Michael Ludwig

• References:
  • RE: Declarative programming requires a different mindset
    • From: "Costello, Roger L." <costello@mitre.org>