Subj : human-readable nodelist format
To   : Scott Little
From : Jan Vermeulen
Date : Sun Jan 05 2003 06:49 pm

    Quoting Scott Little on Sun 5 Jan 2003  8:52 to Jan Vermeulen:

 sl>  [ 04 Jan 03 21:51, Jan Vermeulen wrote to Micael Bulow ]

 JV>>     So please show us the following lines in XML:

 sl> The structure is still being considered.. that's the tricky bit.
 sl> If we knew how to arrange the data we'd be writing code right now.

    Having seen what followed I can see that...

    A few comments:

 sl> <hub number="60" name="Netherlands Hub 60" sysop="Jan Vermeulen">
 sl>     <user-flags />PING, ENC

    PING is not a User Flag.

 sl>     <link type="PSTN" number="31-75-6400-418"
 sl>           flags="CM,XA,V32B,V42B,V34,VFC" />
 sl>     <link type="ISDN" number="31-75-6400-418"
 sl>           flags="CM,XA,V120L,V120H,X75" />
 sl>     <link type="IP" address="213.84.184.65" f
 sl>           lags="IBN" />

    311 characters where the nodelist uses 143. 217%...

 sl>     <node number="100">
 sl>         <name />213.84.184.65
 sl>         <sysop />Jan Vermeulen
 sl>         <user-flags />CM, PING, ENC

    CM and PING are not user flags...

 sl>         <link class="DIALUP">
 sl>             <number />31-75-6400-418
 sl>             <flags />XA,V32B,V42B,V34,VFC,V120L,V120H,X75
 sl>         </link>

 sl>         <link type="IP">
 sl>             <address />213.84.184.65
 sl>             <flags />IBN
 sl>         </link>
 sl>     </node>

    377 characters for 117 in the nodelist: 322%

 sl> </hub>

 sl> That's just two possible ways of listing the same node (60 and 100
 sl> have the same data, except their name) - using attributes of an
 sl> element (name= sysop= flags= etc), and using sub-elements (<name>
 sl> <flags> etc), and just one way of nesting the addressing structure
 sl> (Nodes as sub elements of a Hub, rather than as attributes of the
 sl> nodes).

    Either way, it takes a lot more screen and a lot more typing for *Cs that 
are supposed to keep their part of the nodelist up to date.

    Parsing by a mailer will take considerably more time, wether it builds its 
own database or uses the XML file instead of the GONL (Good Old NodeList).

    The size of the uncompressed XML nodelist will be about 275% of the GONL; 
your compression ratio will be better becayse of the many spaces so you may end 
up with a zip file size of 135%.

    You're worse off as soon as you start adding charcters over 0x7F and follow 
the UT-8 or even UNICODE rules.

    Do not think I am your enemy; I evaluate this project the same way was in 
my professial life.


    -=<[ JV ]>=-

 
* Origin: The Poor Man's Workstation -- Wormerveer NL (2:280/100)

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