[uf-discuss] Google Gdata new syndication protocol!

[Bruce D'Arcus]

On 4/20/06, Scott Reynen <scott at randomchaos.com> wrote:

> > What value do microformats provide in this context? They hardly seem
> > ideal for the sort of straight data transport that seems to be the
> > focus on the gdata stuff.
>
> The same value they provide everywhere else.  Human-readable data is
> easier for human programmers to work with, even if it's being
> consumed and produced entirely by machines.  When it's not being used
> solely by machines (as RSS and Atom are not), it also cuts down on
> data repetition, which reduces opportunity for error and is just less
> work for everyone involved.  Why should I produce a feed of my events
> in Gdata format, when I already have them in microformatted HTML,
> which both humans and computers can already read?

Call me sceptical. Dedicated XML formats (like Atom) that can be
validated with standard XML tools are more valuable for data exchange
it seems to me; easier to read and to write.

Bruce