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Domain: sergeant.org

Stories and comments across the archive that link to sergeant.org.

Comments · 5

  1. AxKit by barries · · Score: 1 · on Embedded Perl Solutions As CGI Substitute?

    You might also check out tha AxKit, if you're thinking of moving towards XML+template processors.

    Here's a backgrounder & introduction by the author (Matt Sergeant).

    - Barrie

  2. Re:XML needs to be integrated into Linux by Matts · · Score: 2 · on Can XML Replace Proprietary Document Formats?
    You said:

    Since XML is going to be such a huge part of the industry within a year or two, what I think that Linux (and indeed, every operating system that wants to compete) needs to do is to integrate XML into the kernel as an intrinsic part of the system architecture. Then software vendors, looking for a rock-solid platform with which to write mission-critical apps in the internet able domain, will choose Linux as their platform of choice, since having XML integrated into the kernel will provide stability and performance attributes.

    I say I've never heard such horse s**t before. Integrating an XML parser into the kernel will do exactly zero for the performance of XML parsing. This is a userland task. It's fairly obvious that you know nothing about XML, nothing about kernels, and I'm guessing these "top names" didn't do enough research about your knowledge before asking you to do their report. I look forward to seeing it headline on ZDNet.

    Want to deliver XML with Apache to different media in varying styles? Get AxKit

  3. Barriers exist right now... by Matts · · Score: 3 · on Can XML Replace Proprietary Document Formats?
    Sadly there are still barriers to this becoming a reality (although I really hope it does become a reality). Perhaps the biggest barrier is the lack of really good XML authoring tools. I really believe that the first company releasing a first class DocBook/XML editor for a price under $100 will make an absolute killing in the marketplace. Current offerings such as add-on modules for Word, FrameMaker/SGML, and WP/SGML just don't quite cut the mustard. XMetaL Pro looks pretty good, I hope the next version will be better.

    In short, I expect to see this sort of tool become a reality in this season's software releases.

    Other barriers to this also include decent formatting. We have reasonable XSLT styles for DocBook, but completely modifying these to make a custom look and feel is still pretty hard. Someone is going to release an XSLT WYSIWYG editor real soon now and make another killing in the market.

    So in summary, I think yes, XML can and will replace proprietary formats. And ultimately be easier to work with.

    Want to deliver XML with Apache to varying media devices in different styles? Get AxKit

  4. AXDTK by Matts · · Score: 2 · on UNIX-based "Template" Software for Web Design?
    I can't resist posting this, although it doesn't really answer your question about a point and click interface, it may help you develop something similar...

    If you have Perl skills, then you may be interested in the Apache XML Delivery Toolkit. It's a suite of modules that help you with the following:

    - Delivering XML to web browsers in a desired format.
    - Delivering the same page in different styles
    - Delivering the same page to different media (e.g handhelds (WAP), browsers, tty's, etc).
    - Developing a consistent style across your site.

    It's all built around mod_perl, and it works in much the same way as Cocoon does, except that it's built in Perl, not Java.

    If you're interested, take a peek at http://xml.sergeant.org/axdtk/.

  5. Same Experience by Matts · · Score: 2 · on Feature:Geek Jobs

    I went through this when I decided to become a contractor here in the UK. I didn't have a PC at the time (just my trusty old Amiga, sold on now), so I figured it would be OK to use the (as I considered it) de-facto standard multi-platform document standard: PDF. So I created my CV in PDF format and sent it out to the agencies.

    Hardly any (I can't recall 1) accepted it, and instead wanted "Word 95". Bah. So I complied. I complained, but I complied. I even wrote to a contractor magazine to say how ridiculous it was to apply for hi-tech jobs and have PDF be turned down. "Surely there are Unix sysadmins out there with no way to create a Word 95 document" I thought. But even the letter to the magazine got flamed by an old-timer for me to just "deal with it".

    Well now I send out my CV in HTML, or point them to my web site. It's funny - Microsoft has actually done me a service there - with either Word or IE (or Netscape) they can always open my CV. Fine. But it's not the ultimate solution to the CV problem.

    My CV is actually stored in XML. The resulting HTML is dynamically generated each time you view it (by a perl script called xmerge which does XSL-T template style operations). What I really want to be able to do is submit my CV in XML. This way both the client and the agent can extract much more detailed information that they want, or ignore that detail. Then we need some sort of search engine that can match CV's up to job postings - also created in XML. That's coming. It's the work of the XML-HR (now HRMML) group at http://www.structuredmethods.com/ to bring us that technology. Note that my CV XML DTD isn't the one used by HRMML, but one I invented myself, because it's simpler and more appropriate for contracting (IMHO). Ultimately I may merge my work with HRMML.

    For more info, see my CV stuff on sergeant.org. Or mail me direct at matt@sergeant.org for more info, and details of how to post a web page providing your CV in XML and have the HTML output produced by my script off my server.

    Matt.

    perl -e 'print scalar reverse q(\)-: ,hacker Perl another Just)'