Re: Language is not markup and markup is not language.

Hi Paul.

Half of it went straight over my head, but I have a hunch that your post
here is pithy, precise, and hits the nail on the head. Just to be sure,
have you a reference to "Turing-complete[ness]" I can have a gander at <g>?
My background is informal, so I'm unfamiliar with the reference.

I am a big fan of scripting languages, so I've found it difficult
explaining why XSL "feels right" for the job.

Cheers

     Guy.





xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on 05/10/99 01:59:28 PM

To:   xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
cc:    (bcc: Guy Murphy/UK/MAID)
Subject:  Re: Language is not markup and markup is not language.




[SNIP]
You have put your finger on the reason that XSLT is different from a
programming language. XSLT is not turing complete which means that there
are a variety of optimizations and checks that can be applied that are
impossible to provide in a programming language. It also means that XSL is
easier to learn than an XML-optimized programming language because the set
of concepts is much smaller than the combination of a programming language
AND a sophisticated XML parsing/searching/traversing library.
XML and XSLT both live on one side of the declarative/Turing-complete
fence. Scripting languages live on the other side. We need both.
--
 Paul Prescod  - ISOGEN Consulting Engineer speaking for only himself
 http://itrc.uwaterloo.ca/~papresco
The first three Noble Truths of Python:
  All that is not Python is suffering.
  The origin of suffering lies in the use of not-Python.
  The cessation of suffering can be achieved by not using not-Python.
http://www.pauahtun.org/4nobletruthsofpython.html

 XSL-List info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list






 XSL-List info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list