Re: Let's face it: side effects are sometimes necessar

But my answer to that is, as I said recently on another thread: use XSLT
to do your XML transformations, don't use it to make the tea or wash the
dishes.

I have heard this before, XSLT is only meant to do X and not Y.
But what if XSLT works great for Y? Am I not allowed to use it?
It's like saying duct tape must only be used to taping duct.

Of course, I was pushing the envelope and asked for things you
may not want to put into XSLT. That's O.K. it seems like XSLT
has gotten better and my need for some of these side-effects have
gone away. Thanks.

Still I strongly believe that XSLT is extremely suitable for
doing real world information processing far beyond simple
transformations of documents. To me it's a whole new paradigm
of programming (of course much of it is a revival of old
LISP ideals.)

As for Dimitre's rant, and the whole issue of quality on this
list, I would say: just ignore posts you think are unqualified.
I find it pretty arrogant to rant to belittle every question
(and the guy ad hominem) who hasn't read the latest papers on
monads. You may not think it is important, but here's a
message for you Dimitre Novachev: there are real people with
real problems out there who use computer things to deal with
those real problems and who have to decide whether to read
something you find important (or find it in the first place)
or whether to deliver what they are expected to deliver. I
don't like total ignorance either, but it doesn't hurt to be
tolerant and to ignore posts you don't like to waste your
precious time on.

Thanks to all those who do respond in a meaningful way to
questions and challenges, even to reiterate something that
may be written in the middle of 250 pages of specifications.
Thanks Michael and David and all.

regards,
-Gunther

--
Gunther Schadow, M.D., Ph.D.                    gschadow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Medical Information Scientist      Regenstrief Institute for Health Care
Adjunct Assistant Professor        Indiana University School of Medicine
tel:1(317)630-7960                         http://aurora.regenstrief.org