Very well articulated, Wendell.
I think it's amazing that we can now seriously compare XSLT to C++,
Java, and other technologies for programming "in the large",
considering how modest were its initial ambitions, when XSLT 1.0 was
published back in 1999 (http://www.w3.org/TR/xslt):
How far we have come.
I agree with you that the technology has come a long long way and it won't
be long before XSLT is called upon to do more and more things that heavy-
weight languages do. By discussing (the somewhat controversial) issues I
have raised and coming up with tools & solutions, we will find more and more
people adopting XSLT in serious anger.
While it's admirable that Justin is concerned that XSLT programs and
XSLT-based applications be as well-designed, robust and maintainable
as any heavy-duty technology -- and I agree that the concern is
justifiable and well-founded -- I also don't fail to see the irony in
this. If it's being called on to be such, either XSLT must be very
special, or languages that were specifically designed to fill that
niche have their own real shortcomings -- or, perhaps, the problems
of programming in the large are not so amenable to designed solutions
as we pretend. Or any or all of these.
Just as I didn't get functional programming for a long time, there are
many people who just do not get XSLT. It is a very special language
and, serendipitously, it is turning out to be capable of solving a classes
of problems in domains which were never even though of when it
was first designed. Remember Windows 1.0. That was not very
successful. Remember Windows 3.0. Different story altogether.
The difference in maturity between between XSLT 1.0 and 2.0 is similar.
Despite still having some of difficulties I raised, the future is bright for
XSLT 2.0 as the tools and techniques for using it mature.
To be honest, I'm not that keen on programming in C++ anymore.
Cheers too.
Justin Johansson
Now a Schema-Aware XSLT Evangelist
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