Michael Leventhal
Michael Leventhal has architected and lead numerous projects in area of Web
applications and infrastructure and XML (and SGML) over the last ten years including
the
DocSOAP XDK Web Services document-centric/ebXML XML and SOAP framework and a
mozilla-based browser, DocZilla. He also developed and taught the first university-level
course in XML and wrote the first book on XML software development for the Internet.
Once infamous for his ferocious views on XSL he now describes himself as being in
enlightened harmony with the XML universe while still and always laboring for the
greatest utility and beauty of computer technology.
Articles by this author
XSL is an Ugly, Difficult Language
Semantic Information Threatened by XSL
XSL Does Not Support Interactive Web Documents
XSL Has Nothing New for the Web
XML: Can the Desperate Perl Hacker Do It?
Is Perl a suitable language for programming XML?
XML and CSS
The simplicity of document creation was a key element in the astonishingly rapid
development of the Web. This article describes XML and CSS: the "one-two" punch that
will
not only bring back that level of simplicity, but also enable the construction of
complex
applications which are either difficult or impossible using HTML. In this article
we outline
the steps for using an CSS style sheet in an XML document; we discuss the limitations
of CSS
in complex applications; and we present a real life example.
XSL Considered Harmful, Part 2
This article demonstrates how a combination of CSS and DOM are sufficient to do
what you'd need XSL for.
XSL Considered Harmful
XSL is far more complicated than it needs to be, and we don't need it, argues
Leventhal. CSS and the DOM are just fine so waiting for XSL to become a standard is
nothing
but a distraction.