Re: My Favorite soapbox : XML linkage (was Re: [DotGNU]Jabber-thon)

[Gopal V]

If memory serves me right, James Michael DuPont wrote:
> My question is :
> What if we want to create web services that can only
> be used by GPLed programs? 

Should we ? .... that's another question which cannot 
be answered easily ;)

> XML/SOAP/XML-RPC is a function exporter, 
> it allows for anyone to us the service.
> 
> The C linker is a function exporter,
> it allows for anyone to link to and use the service.

Similar to the case of a C exporter ... it's the import
step that's important . Once a person uses a builtin
<rls>://<dotgnu_server>/<path> in a program that can be
considered as linking. But a user typing in the URL cannot
be called linking :)

As long as you use the same interfaces on both sides , it
can be proved to be linking ..... if the interface be specific
enough ... (I won't call Mozilla connection to IIS 5 via HTTP
linking)... But a connection to a Savannah's tech support / bug
report section via an XMLRPC call is linking... but a perl webclient
is not ;)

> Most people want to create services that can be used
> by anyone or in a company. 

*exactly* -- we're against "Vendor Lockin" and we attempt a similar
coup ?. Execution via RPC is as similar to linking as IPC is to linking.
Is IPC covered by GPL ?. Are pipes covered ? No !... So why should RPC
be covered ?. 

The question is "Is RPC mere aggregation or a specific interface based
linking ...." ... I have no answer ?.

Is grep "^<.*>" | sed "s/^<\([^>]*\)>\(.*\)$/\1 said : \2/g" mere aggregation
or linking ?... no one can deny they work together ;)

Gopal
-- 
The difference between insanity and genius is measured by success