Re: XML Data format

[George Danezis <gd@theory.lcs.mit.edu>]

Dear All,

I would also support an XML format definition for all administrative 
information. The problem is that I have no idea about writing DTDs and 
have never worked with standard XML parsers. I am a bit more cautious 
about the SOAP Business since it requires an online infrastructure that 
is complicated and big (a full HTTP server as I recall) that might make 
mixminion more fragile, when simple socket connections could do the job. I 
am not a specialist again.

I anyone volunteering to pick up this task?

George

On 16 Feb 2003, Nick Mathewson wrote:

> 
> On Fri, 2003-02-14 at 10:43, Tim Haughton wrote:
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> > 
> > What's people's feelings on using XML rather than custom text file
> > formats for storing data?? Remailer stats and caps for example - it
> > might be nice to have them standardised via a XSD rather than various
> > different html and text layouts.
> 
> We aim to have an integrated, standardized directory service, with a
> standardized format.  We aren't looking at an XML format right now, but
> this could change.  I have no religious problems against it.  Perhaps
> when the next version of the directory spec comes out, XML will be right
> for it.
> 
> We had briefly considered XML for directories and descriptors before,
> but it turned out to be more complicated than we had previously needed,
> and the XML-Signatures spec was, frankly, intimidating. :)  Perhaps the
> next version will have use for it.
> 
> > XML can also be used nicely for 'web service' type functionality.
> > Message objects could be serialised using SOAP across the remailer network.
> 
> A SOAP wrapper layer could be handy, but I don't know if it belongs in
> the protocol proper.  I've got no problem if anybody wants to implement
> one.
> 
>