[adg1653@cs.rit.edu: Configuration file format questions]

[James Wilson <jw themes org>]

Some ideas a user sent to me 

(These arn't my ideas, dont flame me I am just passing them on!)

----- Forwarded message from Aaron <adg1653@cs.rit.edu> -----

Return-Path: <adg1653@cs.rit.edu>
Received: from localhost (jw@localhost [127.0.0.1])
	by ntl.ml.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id SAA31353
	for <jw@localhost>; Wed, 25 Nov 1998 18:57:15 +1100
Received: from mail-hub
	by fetchmail-4.6.3 POP3
	for <jw/localhost> (single-drop); Wed, 25 Nov 1998 18:57:16 EST
Received: from m4.c2.telstra-mm.net.au (m4.c2.telstra-mm.net.au [24.192.3.19])
	by m5.c2.telstra-mm.net.au (8.8.6 (PHNE_14041)/8.8.6) with ESMTP id SAA19273
	for <jamesw@nsw.bigpond.net.au>; Wed, 25 Nov 1998 18:58:10 +1100 (EDT)
Received: from community.varesearch.com (community.varesearch.com [209.81.8.250])
	by m4.c2.telstra-mm.net.au (8.8.6 (PHNE_14041)/8.8.6) with SMTP id SAA14689
	for <jamesw@nsw.bigpond.net.au>; Wed, 25 Nov 1998 18:58:07 +1100 (EDT)
Received: (qmail 1830 invoked by uid 502); 24 Nov 1998 23:57:51 -0000
Delivered-To: octobrx-jw@themes.org
Received: (qmail 1827 invoked from network); 24 Nov 1998 23:57:49 -0000
Received: from pony-express.cs.rit.edu (129.21.30.24)
  by community.varesearch.com with SMTP; 24 Nov 1998 23:57:49 -0000
Received: from agamemnon.cs.rit.edu (agamemnon [129.21.39.147])
	by pony-express.cs.rit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) with ESMTP id CAA03674
	for <jw@themes.org>; Wed, 25 Nov 1998 02:57:55 -0500 (EST)
From: Aaron <adg1653@cs.rit.edu>
Received: (from adg1653@localhost)
	by agamemnon.cs.rit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id CAA00711
	for jw@themes.org; Wed, 25 Nov 1998 02:57:54 -0500 (EST)
Message-Id: <199811250757.CAA00711@agamemnon.cs.rit.edu>
Subject: Configuration file format questions
To: jw@themes.org
Date: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 02:57:54 -0500 (EST)
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL25]
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-UIDL: 002442746283d5d583fe8bd4e7420377

I by no means wish to pass myself off as a GTK developer or even a 
GTK Themes user (yet ;-). I just have a question about the themes rc file
format. I'm of the predispostion that all such configuration files
(which really shouldn't be called an rc file, since it doesn't seem to
execute any commands; but that's a red herring) should turn to an XML
format. I think this would be great because it would unify all configuration
formats, while still allowing them their "personal space" for their own
sphere of functionality. But to the administrator/user hacker, these
files would all have a familiar look and usage, just different types
of elements. It would also make it possible to have, for instance, a single
configuration tool which, given a DTD, could provide basic editing 
services for all configuration files.

Certainly, XML is not useful for all configuration files, and many old
ones will have to remain in their current format because of 
tradition (we wouldn't want to convert and rhosts file to XML). But
with a project of the complexity of GTK-themes and the fact that there
is no tradition to adhere to in this project, is there any compelling reason
not to provide XML-based configuration? 

I don't know about the availability of a good open source XML parsing
library, but if this were the only obstacle, then I would suggest
developing a configuration file which is compatible with XML (i.e. could
be parsed with an appropriate DTD and XML parser), but which uses
conventional (internal) parsing pending the development of an XML
library.

Of course, XML in this message could be replaced with SGML, but XML
is a little simpler, has a little bit more recognition, and still should be
compatible with SGML.

If you're not the proper party for me to send this to, could you kindly
forward it to whoever is, if you know who that would be?

Thank you for your time.

-- 

$--------------------------------------------------------------------$
| Aaron Gaudio                   mailto:icy_manipulator@mindless.com |
|                    http://www.rit.edu/~adg1653/                    |
$--------------------------------------------------------------------$
|      "The fool finds ignorance all around him.                     |
|          The wise man finds ignorance within."                     |
$--------------------------------------------------------------------$

Use of any of my email addresses is subject to the terms found at
http://www.rit.edu/~adg1653/email.shtml. By using any of my addresses, you
agree to be bound by the terms therein.

----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
==================-=====--=-=--=-=  -=-= --- --   -      -  
|| James Wilson         	G T K o T H E M E S o O R G 
|| a.k.a _ENiGMA_		- Because default is boring 
||----------------------------------------------------------
|| Phone : +61-4-1424-1497                                  
|| Email : jw@themes.org                                    
|| UIN   : 1459174                                          
========-=-======-==-= -== =- -- -- -- =-- --  -        -   
Geek Code :
GCS -d+ H-- s+:++ !g p? !au a-- w+ v++ C++++ UL++ P+ L+++ 3 E N++ K- !W
M-- V -po+ Y+ t+++ 5 jx R G? tv+++ b D+ B--- e u---
h++ f+ r* n---- y+