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package similar to XML::Simple

Uche Ogbuji uche at ogbuji.net
Wed Feb 11 01:44:10 EST 2004 
"Martin v. Löwis" <martin at v.loewis.de> wrote in message news:<c0bc8v$ibu$01$1 at news.t-online.com>...
> Peter Hansen wrote:
> > Hmm... so it's your opinion that *all* XML parsers must handle *all*
> > aspects of XML?  If not, I think you should back off on the criticism
> > of PyRXP as being "not an XML parser" and simply point out that it
> > doesn't handle all aspects of XML because it is intended to provide
> > a very fast/heavily optimized approach to parsing only certain kinds
> > of XML.
> 
> I am not Uche, but I think that all XML parsers should conform to the
> XML recommendation (and treat deviations from the XML recommendation
> as bugs).
> 
> This is not the same as handling all aspects of XML, since the XML
> recommendation makes certain aspects optional. Processing character
> references is not one of them (but e.g. validation is).
> 
> > It's a valid choice to do so, though of course if PyRXP is
> > promoted as a "full" XML solution that might be inaccurate.
> 
> Packages may help processing only selected XML documents, and they
> may also support documents which are not XML. However, in neither
> case, they should call themselves "XML parsers". "XML-like parsers"
> or "XML subset parsers" might be more appriate.

I wouldn't argue with calling PyRXP an "XML-like parser".

Because until very recently I thought that PyRXP was an XML parser, I
was extremely taken aback when I ran afoul of PyRXP's brazen character
non-conformance.  As an example of the danger in this non-conformance,
PyRXP refused to parse the very first well-formed XML document I gave
it.  And I'm (mostly) a native English speaker.  True XML parsers
strive for interoperability for a reason.  Not doing so pretty much
negates the value of XML.

I was even more taken aback to read that the PyRXP developers refused
to make the simple fix needed for conformance.  I think it is
essential to point out that a tool that refuses XML conformance cannot
go about calling itself an XML parser.


--Uche
http://uche.ogbuji.net
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