New repository configuration ponderings

[Dag Wieers]

On Sun, 28 May 2006, Ralf Corsepius wrote:

> On Sun, 2006-05-28 at 20:17 +0300, Panu Matilainen wrote:
> > On Sun, 2006-05-28 at 18:20 +0200, Ralf Corsepius wrote:
> > > On Sun, 2006-05-28 at 17:33 +0300, Panu Matilainen wrote:
> > > > I've been thinking about improving the repository configuration and
> > > > related things for a while now. Just yesterday I realized we could
> > > > easily use the existing main configuration system for this, instead of
> > > > inventing yet-another-file-format and parser for it. 
> > > 
> > > Well, nice proposal, but ...
> > > 
> > > ... wouldn't an xml config file format be more suitable?
> > 
> > I *hate* XML configuration files from user POV.
> 
> If xml is suitable for something, then it's parsing config files.
> 
> It avoids all the kind of semifunctional implementation nonsense apt's
> and yum's config currently carries around, and would dramatically
> simplify the syntax and a parser's implementation.
> 
> But given your attitude, I withdraw my comment above. All your proposal
> does is adding yet another source of errors and of incompatibilities.

XML makes it easier for computers to parse, but makes it dramatically hard 
for humans to parse. We can automate computers, but we cannot automate 
humans yet.

If no humans are involved, I agree with your assesment and would use XML.

Kind regards,
--   dag wieers,  dag at wieers.com,  http://dag.wieers.com/   --
[all I want is a warm bed and a kind word and unlimited power]