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Somehow XML became popular despite being syntactically very close to sexps... Why do you think XML succeeded where sexps failed?
by klibertp 13y ago
Somehow XML became popular despite being syntactically very close to sexps... Why do you think XML succeeded where sexps failed?
- segmondy 13y agoXML was all about encoding data, not computations. It's far easier to understand data storage than computation. Lisp becomes scary once you start computing and having functional/recursive calls. Look at prolog. Prolog's data storage is very easy for anyone to grasp. dog(fido). man(john), man(dave). The moment, you start computing with prolog recursively, most folks throw up and are ready to stick to their procedural/imperative style.
- pseudotrue 13y agoHow often do most people write XML?
- dragonwriter 13y ago> Why do you think XML succeeded where sexps failed? Because it was superficially confortable given HTML and its popularity due to the explosion of the web. Cosmetics are often more important than substantive structure in popularity.