Xslt: a simple way to for web template systems

There is a way to do templating with XSLT in the simple form that PHP, Dreamweaver, Strut, Frontpage and in general web developer who relies on templating normally use.

I've worked seven years with Cocoon and one of the weakness I had found in this valid web developing framework is linked to the steep learning curve associated with the xslt language.

What I have discovered is that you can use XSLT in a very simple way:

• Hiding the complexity of the xsl:template and the xsl:apply-templates concepts
• Reducing the verbosity of the stylesheet (no more xsl:stylesheet tag required)
• Giving meaning to the xsl:for-each and xsl:value-of (that using the xsl:template method are mostly useless)

The drawbacks of this kind of use of xslt language is the lost of the power associated with the traditional xsl:template aproach.
So is a question of simple against powerful and I don't want to suggest to anyone what to choose because:

• Each situation may have different ideal solutions
• Probably the right approach is incremental

By incremental approach I mean that when someone wants to approach xslt language or has to do some very fast developing can use a quick and dirty approach with the simplyfied form of xslt stylesheet.
When what you have to do is complex and you want to do it in a nice and synthetic form you can approach the traditional way of writing xslt stylesheets.
I write this article because over the years I've seen articles and post on templating with xslt and Cocoon and they were done in a complex way:

• Style-free XSLT Style Sheets Is one of the most famous
• Templating with Cocoon
  

What I wonder now is:" Did those guys know that there was a solution to their problem inside xslt???"
I didn't for sure and it surprised me a lot. I wouldn't swear they did... What do you think??

Piggy Bank by SIMILE Project

Is the semantic web useful somehow?
The most obvious answer is not yet. RDF, OWL are established protocols but the software who simplify end-user's life is still missing.
The problem in this situation is the proliferation of parallel even if similar and more handy technologies which have begun to apear and go under the name of web 2.0.
In this situation a software like Piggy Bank by SIMILE Project gains importance.
Only by well written prototypes you can explain, divulgate and sponsorize the use of the right standard and the importance of taking the right path of developing now before it's too late.
Piggy Bank does it by demonstrating that the right use of theese technologies can simplify user's life.
The strong points of the software are:

• Bleading hedge Semantic Web technology
• Strict W3c standards conformance
• Focus on Visions and scenarios from the end user perspective to illustrate the use of the plugin
  
• The use of Page tagging or labeling or keywording or however you want to call it
• The maximum opening to future developing and expansion
• The demonstrated ability in integrating other technologies such as the google map API ,javascript, xslt, and others.
  

The labeling feature in particular turns the user into the main character of his semantic web classification. Tagging in general is gaining popularity among those who uses Gmail and a future developing of thunderbird should address the tagging issue.
The things to improve it IMHO go toward the end user (sorry but that's what I am):

• Push on usability and keep the too rich actual interface for semantic web experts and developers (Personally I like it but It took me half an hour to orientate myself).
  
• Submit this wonderful experiment to institutions like w3c, oasis and others because they lack of examples of working applications of their still too abstract concepts.
• The skins: Piggy bank can collect "pure" RDF data or RSS, or "screen scrapered" data. It would be nice to map theese origin with templates depending on the type (rdf:type) of information
  

Anyway thank you for now to this wonderful team.
More on Tagging:
http://www.rashmisinha.com/archives/05_09/tagging-cognitive.html
http://blog.simpy.com/blojsom/blog/2005/09/28/Quick-Study-Tag-Use-Patterns.html
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=273419&highlight=tags+labels+keywords

Viva Zapatero!

Ho visto un bel film: Viva Zapatero
Come si dice di solito: si può essere o meno d'accordo con le idee di Sabina Guzzanti ma il modo in cui le esprime é molto efficace.
E' la stessa cosa che si può dire della Fallaci.
Temo che le donne abbiano preso il sopravvento sugli uomini per quanto riguarda l'incisività politica e la capacità di convincere.
Immagino e spero che questo paragone risulti stridente a molti.