In search of a Pythonic, XML-based Templating Language
I've been searching for the perfect Python based XML template language. I was happy to find TAL (and specifically, SimpleTAL) a while back but, although neither of us wants to admit it, we've been growing apart for some time now. I spent last week looking for options and, after careful consideration and planning (read: beer and a nap), decided to just build the XML template language I really wanted.
There's at least four billion and nine text based template languages for Python but there aren't a lot of options that fit nicely into the XML tool-chain. Or, if they do fit nicely into the XML tool-chain, they don't fit nicely with Python.
My dreamboat XML template language would combine the pythonicness and simplicity of PTL, the templating features and pipeline-ability of XSLT, and the terseness of Zope's TAL. I'm building it, it's called Kid, and I'm making good progress to be honest.
But I have this overwhelming NIH feeling so I've decided the best thing to do is to run through the current set of tools and take a professional, objective look at why each isn't getting it done for me (i.e. make fun of minor flaws and limitations until I feel better about myself). Herewith, a look at the good and the bad in the Python XML templating space...
Hello Pythonosphere
At the risk of going against some weird weblog etiquette I'm unaware of, I've egotistically volunteered my weblog up to a couple of planet style aggregate sites that syndicate Python related content. This post is partially to test the syndication technology and partially just to say hello to the Python blogging community. And since I just went through the process of getting my content syndicated, I figured I would do a quick write-up of the sites I visited and the basic processes for getting syndicated on each. If you have a weblog and write about Python related stuff, please consider listing yourself on these sites so people can find you.
The factors that led them to choose IE..
News.com.com.com is reporting that Firefox is gaining on IE faster than expected. Amsterdam based OneStat.com has IE's market share as low as 88.9%. I can't help but wonder if those guys didn't hit the hookah a few too many times before running the numbers. The Mozilla Organization has been saying that they hope to have 10% of the market by the end of 2005. You could project that they might reach that by the end of 2004 if these OneNet stats are accurate, which they most probably are not.
Sigh
At any rate, check out this gem from Microsoft's director of product management for Windows, Gary Schare (pronounced Gair-ee Share-ee ;)
"I still believe in the end that most users will decide that IE is the best choice when they take into account all the factors that led them to choose IE in the first place," Schare said. "Meanwhile, we're happy that they're primarily (using Firefox) on Windows, and that Firefox is part of the large ecosystem of software products available on the Windows platform."
The "factors" he references are covered briefly here, while more on the "Windows ecosystem" he mentions can be found here.
Adam Bosworth, Sloppy KISSes, and WS-Mess
About two months ago, I linked to a tiny little paragraph Adam Bosworth wrote at the end of a completely unrelated weblog entry, where he mentions that he had been trying to justify all of the WS-Complexity when simple XML over HTTP works so well. People have been proposing that simple XML over HTTP hits the 80/20 for awhile and it's beginning to catch on but today might have been a watershed event for the Loyal WS-Opposition. Adam evidently thought about this stuff really hard over the past two months and has just published the transcript of a brilliant talk he gave at ISCOC04 where he emphasizes simplicity and organicness over complexity and cathedral building in the Web Services space. Herewith some notes and speculation on What It All Might Mean.
Splice
I've been working on a weblog/micro-content management system with what I believe are some unique qualities. I've wanted to write about some of the approaches I've taken and how they are (and are not) working out but feel I should provide some kind of context for my ramblings. So I'm going to try to summarize the main aspects of the system real quick so I can start digging in to the more specific stuff.
I've settled on the name "Splice" because I think it has a nice ring to it and is a pretty good one-word description of a major goal of the platform. Nothing has been officially released yet but I have allocated a project on sourceforge.net and plan on bombing the existing code up there within the next week. An initial 0.1 release should follow after about a month or so, assuming I can keep my current pace.
So without further ado, here's a quick breakdown of the planned features of Splice...
Java and Open Source
Mark Stone has an article on Newsforge entitled Java and open source where he breaks down the reasons businesses choose to embrace open source licenses, why Sun has not with Java, and why Java developers/vendors shouldn't care. Herewith some ramblings in support of Mark's business oriented look at OSS and an issue with his conclussion.
Got a gun
I was listening to Pearl Jam's Vs. album today when the song "Glorified G" came on. I always liked the song but I never thought it had any real meaning.
It was eerie how relevant these lyrics feel today:
Got a gun, fact I got two
That’s o.k. man, cuz I love god
That pretty much sums up my narrow understanding of the red state mentality.
Weapons and Coding
My kid brother, Private Jesse D. Fronk, recently joined the US Marine Corp and completed combat training. This is where a bunch of 18 year old kids spend six weeks shredding moving and stationary targets using various projectile, mounted, and hand propelled weaponry including grenades, grenade launchers, hand guns, rifles, and machine guns. He talked a lot about the SAW (big/sometimes-mounted machine gun) and the grenade launcher but when I asked which weapon he would prefer if he were to find himself in a hostile situation where he was unsure of what kind of crap to expect, he replied, "The M16 rifle - hands down."
Web Antipatterns
Check out this Review of Firefox at Net Gazette. It looks like a good old fashioned site at first but look closer. There is no actual text! The review consists completely of images... images of text. Each paragraph is a separate image arranged into tables for layout. What's even more interesting is how they, uh, "implemented" links. Each image-of-text has an image-map attached to it defining each links coordinates. I realize we need all the good press we can get but this site championing your browser is a bit like having the Ku Klux Klan back your presidential candidate.
I thought this was a really great example of a web architecture antipattern and it reminded me of something I wanted to point people to. The w3c recently put out the Architecture of the World Wide Web as a Proposed Recommendation. I really cannot express how much I like this document. It's very different from the recent slew of crap that has been flowing from the w3c. It isn't a specification at all, really, but rather a look at what the web got right. Sadly, using images-of-text-wrapped-in-tables isn't covered.
All content that comes to the web goes through a sucky phase before reaching true Web Zen. Reaching this elevated state requires answering the question, "What is it about the web medium that improves on existing forms of content delivery?" and then seizing them.
Pardon our dust...
I'm in the process of moving to a new weblogging system. Actually, the reason I haven't been writing over the past few months is because I've been heads-down coding. I know I should just grab Wordpress and be done with it but I can't shake this desire for a Python based system. More on that later. I'm sure I'll be rambling about my plans for the system over the next few weeks. For now I want to apologize for any brokeness with the site. Some URLs have changed but you shouldn't notice as there are 301's to take you to the new place for most of them. Please let me know if you get a 404 for something that was here yesterday.