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 Official "XML SUCKS" thread

Author  Topic 

amachanic
SQL Server MVP

169 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-11 : 21:35:56
Someone asked for it, and now I have a great way to start it up...

Posted today in the microsoft.public.sqlserver.server newsgroup:

Subject: Validate URL
---
How can i Validate an URL by example "http://server1/default.htm"

And then i need to put timestamp
I will put inside a table...

I need to log that information for validate the Uptime for web pages

Thanx a Lot

Any idea??..maybe XML can help???
---

"maybe XML can help" ?!??! Why the hell could XML help!?!?

... okay, had to rant somewhere, now I feel much better

jsmith8858
Dr. Cross Join

7423 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-11 : 21:40:18
LOL ....

- Jeff
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Merkin
Funky Drop Bear Fearing SQL Dude!

4970 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-11 : 22:03:31
"Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say that there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe." : Frank Zappa



Damian
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Frank Kalis
Constraint Violating Yak Guru

413 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-12 : 03:43:26
quote:
Originally posted by amachanic


Any idea??..maybe XML can help???
---

"maybe XML can help" ?!??! Why the hell could XML help!?!?

... okay, had to rant somewhere, now I feel much better


Well, if XML won't help here, 42 clearly will, since it is the ultimate answer

--
Frank
http://www.insidesql.de
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ehorn
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

1632 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-12 : 07:35:38
So is it XML, or Stupidity, or any combination in between :), that sucks?
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Merkin
Funky Drop Bear Fearing SQL Dude!

4970 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-12 : 07:48:16
Just stupidity I think.

I've been doing some XML this week for passing data between a flash app and some ASP.NET, it's working a treat. Fast to develop, fast to execute.



Damian
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ehorn
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

1632 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-12 : 08:03:48
Sounds like the poster wanted to create a web site monitoring service.
Does XML have any potential use in this scenario, perhaps..

-as a repository for the urls they wish to manage
-for application, profile, and business rule settings
-as a repository for the log file(s)
-as a messaging format between layers

In this situation, is xml a candidate.. Yes. is it the best choice... Dont know :)
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Merkin
Funky Drop Bear Fearing SQL Dude!

4970 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-12 : 08:12:08
XML is really too bulky for that sort of thing, there is a lot of disk overhead taken up by angle brackets in huge log files.

It's useful to do parsable logs for small things, NAnt and NUnit use it, but for an application you want to collect a lot of data, and report / aggregate a lot of data... I can't think of much worse.

Can you imaging reporting uptime percentages for an app that was polled every minute for a month by parsing xml logs ? EWWW. That's what SQL Server will do really well.

Messaging between tiers is a good use of it, slower than an optimised custom format, but great for gluing different bits together.


Damian
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amachanic
SQL Server MVP

169 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-12 : 10:22:31
Actually, I did work XML into my reply -- I showed the poster how to use the XMLHTTP object via the Object Automation XPs to send a request to the website and see if it comes back with status 200 :)
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rockmoose
SQL Natt Alfen

3279 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-12 : 13:24:49
Finally..

Yeah, XML SUCKS BIG TIME!


No one in their right mind would ever use XML for anything at all,
because it is absolutely useless for everything.

<paragraph>
<line>XML is the language of choice for all idiots,</line>
<line>and almost everyone is an Idiot,</line>
<line>and the only way to communicate with an idiot</line>
<line>is to speak the language of the idiot.</line>
</paragraph>

XML SUCKS BIGTIME! XML SUCKS BIGTIME! XML SUCKS BIGTIME! XML SUCKS BIGTIME!
thanks amachanic for this thread.

rockmoose
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X002548
Not Just a Number

15586 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-12 : 13:36:59
Well I have to add this thread to the Official XML Rant BLOG Post

http://weblogs.sqlteam.com/brettk/archive/2004/09/01/1999.aspx

and visa versa (sp?)



Brett

8-)
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ehorn
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

1632 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-12 : 14:01:29
Tell us how you really feel rockmoose :)

Can you share why/how you have developed this opinion?
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rockmoose
SQL Natt Alfen

3279 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-12 : 14:36:39
quote:
Originally posted by ehorn

Tell us how you really feel rockmoose :)

Can you share why/how you have developed this opinion?



XML is a pretty crappy format/language ain't it?

Edit: removed smiley
rockmoose
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X002548
Not Just a Number

15586 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-13 : 09:54:56
Isn't it, that the benefit is interoperability between non heterogenous application/platforms....

Still looking for an answer to why it's good.

It's not good for relational stuff...

So I can see SELECTs, but Updates or Inserts?



Brett

8-)
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amachanic
SQL Server MVP

169 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-13 : 09:57:12
You're right, Brett, it's perfect for interop...

New slogan for XML:

"XML: When CSV is too complicated"
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Merkin
Funky Drop Bear Fearing SQL Dude!

4970 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-13 : 10:04:59
I am dealing with a project at the moment where we have to pick up some data from a 3rd party company.

The 3rd party said they would supply xml, and I had to specify a schema.

No probs, I sent off the email.

What I got back looked like :

2,45,213
55,32,523





Damian
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jsmith8858
Dr. Cross Join

7423 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-13 : 10:43:37
>>"XML: When CSV is too complicated"

I Like it! seriously, that's perfect !

- Jeff
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ehorn
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

1632 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-13 : 21:32:30
Lets rewind to mid-1981... A developer wants to look at some new-fangled database they call SQL/DS (anyone here remember that or what it became) - After designing some tables and playing around with some queries, questions were asked..

"Why does it matter if a DB engine is built on a methematical theory?"

"Why would we want to learn a foreign query language called SQL rather using nice, fast assembly language or COBOL programs?"

"Why did you just decompose our 2 nice, understandable records into 30 little tables just to join them back together again?"

and

"Why does it go so slow! ?"

Nonetheless, a new era was born - The relational era.

Relational engines were slow, and smart programmers could beat the engine every time. 5 years later the engines were a heck of alot faster, and programmers began to write a little sql and much less procedural code and they got much more work done.

So I can just smile when I see/hear folks shake their head about XML, XML data models, and/or XQuery semantics. The same eyebrows were raised not so long ago and I think the same raised eyebrows existed when mixing OO concepts and data first came on the scene.

Maybe the head shakers are right, maybe not. Time will tell...
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Merkin
Funky Drop Bear Fearing SQL Dude!

4970 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-13 : 23:05:28
That's pretty much how I think of it now. Especially with .NET, there are a lot of smarter people than me working at optimising this stuff to the point where it's quick to develop, and quick to run.

It's still not for everything, but neither is a relational database.

That doesn't mean we can't laugh at people who use it stupidly



Damian
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amachanic
SQL Server MVP

169 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-13 : 23:10:08
There's a difference: We have the Relational Model of Data, which has solid logical foundations. There is no XML Model of Data, and no logical foundation on which to base one.
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robvolk
Most Valuable Yak

15732 Posts

Posted - 2005-01-14 : 08:14:31
quote:
There is no XML Model of Data, and no logical foundation on which to base one.
Whoa, that's gonna get a NICE response from the XML fanboys of the world.

<envy> Wish I'd thought of it. </envy>
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