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RE: [xsl] XML/XSLT for web templating

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> I was wondering if there is  anybody on this list who could 
> share some experience (opinions are very welcome too) on 
> using XML/XSLT
> (2.0) as the templating technology ...
> 
> I have been strenuously advocating this approach...

These kind of technology choices are rarely made objectively and rationally;
to exercise persuasion you don't just need rational arguments based on the
merits of different technologies, you need to understand the prejudices of
the people you are trying to persuade (and it's useful to try and understand
your own prejudices too). Very often one of the important drivers is that
expertise in a particular technology gives people a position of influence
and they fear that adopting a different technology will cause a loss of
influence. Most people, faced with a choice between a technology they know
well and one that they know hardly at all, will argue in favour of the
technology they know well.

Your tactics for influencing the technical direction of the group depend a
lot on your own (formal and informal) position within the group, and on the
organizational culture - whether such decisions are made by consensus or by
direction from above, for example.

> I face a huge resistance based on the 
> "fame" of XSLT of being:
> 
> 1. Too slow ... 2. Too difficult ... 3. Too unknown 
> ("everybody knows JSP...") 4. Too old ... 

Good sales people are trained in objection handling. I'm no expert, but as
far as I understand the subject, the key is to understand the fears and
personal experiences that cause the objections to be raised. You can't prove
that their arguments are wrong (or if you do, they will simply find a
different objection). But very often, it means you're talking to the wrong
people: you need to go up a level, to the people who will see the benefits
and aren't worried about their career prospects.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/

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