4 ms·
Protocol buffers are a reimplementation of some whizzy stuff we did at a messaging start-up circa 1994. They were great for messaging . . . but we found oursel
by kabdib 15y ago
Protocol buffers are a reimplementation of some whizzy stuff we did at a messaging start-up circa 1994.
They were great for messaging . . . but we found ourselves using them /everywhere/. And since our stuff worked in many different environments (C++, Java, Visual Basic were the ones we directly supported), you could have your choice of language.
It's flattering to see this rediscovered, several times over :-)
- haberman 15y agoYep, I believe that it will continue being "rediscovered" until some well-executed, open-source embodiment of them becomes a de facto standard. My goal is to make Protocol Buffers just that. Another way of putting it is that I'm trying to beat Greenspun's Tenth Rule by making that "half of Common Lisp" separable from Common Lisp so that C programs (and high-level programs too) don't have to keep re-inventing it. As a bonus, this will help make languages more interoperable too.