Subj : Re: E4X support in mozilla?
To   : Shanti Rao
From : Brendan Eich
Date : Mon Jan 03 2005 07:46 pm

Shanti Rao wrote:
> 
> Perhaps it's inevetible that a language aquires complexity until it's 
> sufficient complex that an opportunity for a new language is created?


Possibly, and there should be, and will be, new and better languages 
(already are, but since worse is better, many "better" ones lost in a 
Darwinian who's-on-first contest).

But I'd say JS+E4X is ahead of the curve, judging from the rise of XML 
and the E4X envy seen among the Python and Ruby folks ;-).  And the 
complexity is not terrible, but I agree it could be simpler.  Adding 
namespaces is a big complexity increase, and all evidence we and others 
(Micah Dubinko, e.g.) have say that namespaces are the most error-prone 
part of practical XML.

But that's a problem not peculiar to E4X.

/be

.