Re: [FR-devel] Latest YAML format

[Laurent Julliard]

Rich Kilmer wrote:
> Team,
>
> There is a question that follows this very long email...
>
> For those that don't know, there is the cool format for config files and
> serializing objects known as YAML (Yaml Ain't Markup Language).
>
> http://www.yaml.org
>
> And the Ruby library was presented by its author "Why the Lucky Stiff"
> at RubyConf.new(2002).  I really like how clean it is compared to XML
> (easy to read, edit, etc) especially for configuration files.  The
> coolest thing is that the YAML parser will read in these files and
> create Ruby objects for you (in other words, you don't use the parser
> like in XML, just classes and objects).  At the conference I downloaded
> YAML Ruby library from here:

> Q: Should we switch over to this format instead of XML?
>
> If the answer is "no...let's use XML" then I will implement it in the
> Configuration class.  I would prefer to use YAML...but I want to know
> your thoughts.

Honestly I have nothing against the YAML format but I have nothing 
against XML either. However there are a couple of points that I am bit 
concerned about:

- It's yet another format to learn for our community of developers. I 
assume that XML is already well-known by everybody. I'm not sure about 
YAML.

- Are we sure YAML offers enough power to encode the properties file 
that we will save when FR stops (like keeping the list of open files, 
the list of breakpoints placed on each file,etc.) Again I don't know 
YAML so I'm just asking here.

- Is the Ruby community (or at least the YAML auhtor) committed to 
maintain YAML4R as well as the XML parsers are?

- The fact of using YAML for the config file will not make XML 
disappear from the scene. It is very likely that XML will surface in 
other plugins (e.g using the jabber protocol to help in pair 
programming or other similar cases).

- And last but not least, isn't this going to delay the availability 
of the  first FR release....

All in all I think I'm not in favor of making this move for the first 
release. But again I have no strong opinion about that and certainly 
not a subject of friction for me. So Rich go ahead think about the 
points above and take the decision you think is better for you.

Laurent