Re: [netmod] [Ladislav Lhotka] Re: yang-json document

[Ladislav Lhotka <[e-mail]>]

Phil Shafer <[e-mail]> writes:

> Ladislav Lhotka writes:
>>BTW, my (technical) colleagues are now designing a new YAML-based
>>configuration format for the Knot DNS server, and a special remote
>>configuration protocol - despite the fact that I've been harassing them
>>with NETCONF and YANG for several years. And they refused NETCONF
>>specifically because of the fact it is limited to XML.
>
> There's always a newer flavor-of-the-month.  The funny bit is when
> the FOTM is celebrated because it's free of all the "cruft" of the
> previous FOTM, but then the crowd starts immediately rebuilding
> that cruft for the new FOTM.  See json-schema, json-pointer, etc.

We know that schemas and pointers are useful, right? :-) However, a
programmer with no knowledge of JSON whatsoever can start using it
effectively after maybe 20 minutes. It takes *much* longer with XML, and
you can run into surprises even after having used it for a long time.

One thing that makes XML really complex is the mixed content - it is
good for documents with markup but useless for hierarchical data.

>
> It would be interesting to ask them with version of YAML they are
> using, given that 1.2 is five years only, but yaml.org lists only
> two implementations of it.  ;^)

I hope I will be able to convince them to go for JSON, that way we could
at least use YANG.

>
> And yes, xml definitely needs better libraries.  There's no reason
> I can't parse XML into modern structures.  Take a look at pyez
>

Actually, XML needed better libraries 15 or 20 years ago, and the
situation hasn't improved that much since then.

I think XML will continue to be used in areas like HTML where it makes
sense, but in the area of data storage and interchange it will be
outcompeted by simpler formats - it is already happening. That's why I
also think making XML the mandatory encoding for RESTCONF is, well,
unwise.

Lada



> Thanks,
>  Phil

-- 
Ladislav Lhotka, CZ.NIC Labs
PGP Key ID: E74E8C0C