[REBOL] Re: Google + SOAP
From: greggirwin:mindspring at: 20-Apr-2002 9:43
Hi Gavin,
First of all, I'm not an XML guy (and have no desire to be). I think being
able to convert REBOL data and blocks to XML, maybe with a smart transformer
that takes a DTD as its guide or something, is something that will be very
useful for dealing with those that choose to use XML. A great opportunity no
doubt.
<< You're not comparing SOAP/XML to REBOL though, are you? That wouldn't
seem to be a fruitful exercise. One is a protocol and
meta-markup-language, and the other is a programming language. They're
both good at what they do. >>
You certainly can't compare them IMO. SOAP and XML are two different things.
XML is a markup language and REBOL is a programming language, if you
categorize them that way. SOAP is just an XML dialect. There's a big
difference though, in how they "fit" into their respective classifications.
XML, correct me if I'm wrong, is *not* good at specifying programs. REBOL,
OTOH, is *very* good at specifying and processing data that may or may not
have other information (e.g. markup) associated with it. I.e. REBOL is a
programming language that understands data. While you can specify data
pretty easily in native REBOL format (much more easiy than in XML IMO), the
real power comes from being able to express data in dialects that REBOL
programs can understand.
Just my 2 cents.
--Gregg
