Re: [Yaml-core] SSYN: Alternative to data-centric XML and YAML

[Jason D. <ja...@in...>]

T. Onoma wrote:

>My personal feeling is that, in the end, Yaml is just about as simple as one 
>is going to get. Einstein once said something along the lines of "simplify, 
>but don't over simplify". It is likely the case here. If Yaml gets much 
>simpler it will really start to loose too much. Nor would I be surprised if, 
>after Jason progresses with implementing SSYN, it too will get more complex 
>then he had first hoped. So I don't think that's really the way to go, 
>although I'm all for trying. Nonetheless I am very much for seeing what can 
>be done to improve implimenation progress.
>  
>
If this ends up being true, then I'll have no trouble dropping SSYN and 
using YAML.

I want to use a language that has a wide variety of free, open source 
tools available on as many platforms as possible. And I want the 
language to be easy to use so that I can generate it and author it and 
reason about it without too much trouble. XML meets those goals (for me 
and many others) but XML is better used with document-centric 
information--not the type of data-centric information that YAML and SSYN 
are targetting.

I just want to point out that I didn't create SSYN to compete with YAML 
just for the fun of it or because I suffer from the all-too-common NIH 
syndrome. If it helps, consider SSYN an experiment in creating a 
"reduced" or "minimal" YAML. I'll find out if it meets my needs or not. 
Hopefully others can help by finding out if it meets their needs. If it 
turns out that SSYN is useful and has enough in common with YAML that it 
can be considered a subset, then I'd be thrilled if it could be used as 
the basis for an official YAML subset specification.

Having said that, I want to point it that, while working on SSYN, I've 
generalized the model in my attempt to simplify it which ended up (to my 
surprise) making it a superset of the YAML model (minus graphs)--not the 
other way around. So I'm curious to see how much SSYN can be modified so 
that it might be more YAML-like in order to really be used as a YAML subset.

-- Jason