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RE: XSLT model not "natural"? [was Re: [ANN] FreeMarker 2.3 as an alternative to XSLT]

2003-06-27 14:42:12
This leads to the question of why XSLT has such a 
reputation. How did it
get such a "bum rap"? OTOH, such preconceived ideas, even obnoxious 
stereotypes, typically have at least some basis in the 
truth. If XSLT 
has a reputation for being difficult, I doubt that this is just a 
calumny invented out of whole cloth.

Is tha the reputation it has? I thought it had a rather 
diferent reputation, being easily the most successful of the 
W3C specified languages post XML, and one of the more widely 
distributed programming languages ever. 

These statements aren't contradictory. If XSLT weren't so successful, it
wouldn't have any reputation at all, it would just be ignored like 99%
of the other programming languages that have been invented. It's got a
reputation for being challenging because people see the learning curve
that's ahead of them and they know they can't just ignore the challenge,
they have to face up to it.

I went up this learning curve myself about 4-5 years ago. I didn't find
it easy. I never do find new concepts easy. I struggled when I first
learnt SQL, when I learnt goto-less programming, when I learnt
object-oriented programming - I even remember struggling the first time
I had to understand subroutines. But each time, I've got to the top of
the hill and never looked back. It's worth the climb.

Michael Kay


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