[microformats-discuss] hWidget

[Mark Rickerby]

> > The proliferation of template engines in PHP would be a similar
> > example...
>
> I don't think this is the same. I think this is because people are
> terribly shortsighted and don't want to invest a bit of time up front
> to grok someone else's code. And that's probably because they don't
> know how to read others' code (yeah- people who  can write software
> can't always read someone else's code, even when its written well.).

What I think is similar, is the desire to customize one's own
declarative syntax. While this may not be true for everyone, I think
some people get off on writing template engines for the same reasons
as those who try to individually extend, customize, or replace
HTML/XML formats. It's an entirely selfish aesthetic motivation.

Perhaps a more general way of describing it would be mistakenly
focusing on syntax more than semantics? (this is technology for
*communication* after all). I'm just asserting that either form of
reinvention could be largely based on someones own personal ideals
about which particular words and characters they like.

> People rewrite templating in PHP because they're shortsighted and not
> humble enough to submit themselves to someone else's paradigm.

Some people, definitely.

/Mark