At 04:34 PM 9/13/2010, you wrote:
> But that is exactly what others have been saying, they are concerned > about the file size they think they would get from XML... "I want to > run PCB on my iPad", etc. File size just means a bigger file to generate/parse. Doesn't affect RAM use significantly, which is the major limit for small devices. This year's iPad has 16 GB flash, minimum. Suppose that someone ports PCB to iOS while they still make a 16 GB model (oh-so-likely) and that it were allowed in the iTunes app store while containing GPL code (wanna buy a bridge?). Further suppose that there's a 10X file-size penalty for using XML. Let's call the file size a PITA if it reached (say) 10% of that, 1.6 GB. (Can you even buy a USB drive that small anymore?)
Yes, on the last board order I made the vendor sent me all my design files on a 256 MB Flash drive with a keychain attached. So they are still available and obviously inexpensive. However, the price of Flash and DRAM are dropping again, so we may see the smaller units go by the wayside soon and be stuck with 2 GB as the smallest Flash drive on the market.
So, the questions: Who here generates PCB files as large as 160 MB on a regular basis? And, if you answered "me," is this type of design one that you'd prefer to edit on a small screen? Seriously. Does anyone actually think that XML would make a non-negligible difference one way or another about whether you could run PCB on any forthcoming iXYZDroidBerry? This argument fails the common sense test.
The only reason why I feel XML is a good idea is that there is already a standard XML schema that could be used as a starting point. As Windell says, the arguments against XML seem to be based on some sort of bias rather than any real facts against it. But it is pretty clear that there is little interest in making the program similar to anything else. Maybe this is not a good idea at all. It was just a thought.
I will say that when people use words like "bloat", "large", "complicated", "slow", "ugly", etc., they are not discussing engineering. They are using emotion to try to influence the process. I just read another post on this topic that is using these sorts of words without any clear basis. There is no point in discussing emotionally charged issues.
Rick
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