Guile as a Settings Format

Guile as a Settings Format

[Luiji Maryo]

Hello,

Is it acceptable to use Guile as a settings file format or is another
format, such as XML, preferred by the GNU community?

--
- Luiji Maryo (a.k.a. Brain Boy)
Visit me at http://brainboyblogger.blogspot.com/.

Re: Guile as a Settings Format

[Thien-Thi Nguyen]

() Luiji Maryo <luiji@users.sourceforge.net>
() Sat, 17 Jul 2010 19:57:41 -0400

   Is it acceptable to use Guile as a settings file format or is another
   format, such as XML, preferred by the GNU community?

I think so, if by "Guile" you mean "sexps that Guile can ‘read’".
E.g., see X protocol, converted from XML:

http://www.gnuvola.org/data/index.html
http://www.gnuvola.org/data/duxpd/

A sexp affords a richer set of fundamental and aggregate types, basically.
In contrast, XML "types" require rehydration.

Since proper validation (a purported advantage of using XML) requires
substantial type information, you end up doing more work: rehydration then
validation.  WOMBAT tech; avoid.

thi

Re: Guile as a Settings Format

[Ludovic Courtès]

Hello,

Luiji Maryo <luiji@users.sourceforge.net> writes:

> Is it acceptable to use Guile as a settings file format or is another
> format, such as XML, preferred by the GNU community?

Many GNU packages use custom settings file formats.  However, Guile is a
good tool for customization (of which “settings” is a subset), notably
because it then programs that use it to be “blended” together.

See
<http://www.gnu.org/software/guile/docs/master/guile.html/The-Emacs-Thesis.html>
for more background info.

Thanks,
Ludo’.

Re: Guile as a Settings Format

[Ludovic Courtès]

ludo@gnu.org (Ludovic Courtès) writes:

> Hello,
>
> Luiji Maryo <luiji@users.sourceforge.net> writes:
>
>> Is it acceptable to use Guile as a settings file format or is another
>> format, such as XML, preferred by the GNU community?
>
> Many GNU packages use custom settings file formats.  However, Guile is a
> good tool for customization (of which “settings” is a subset), notably
> because it then programs that use it to be “blended” together.
                 ^
                 `-- allows

Ludo'.