Spectral DM document update

[Roy Williams]

On Oct 8, 2006, at 9:53 PM, Jonathan McDowell wrote:
>  arrays like <Flux>1.2 1.3 1.4 ... </Flux> where all data
> point attributes are in separate arrays, instead of having
> Point No. 1 (flux, err, spco, ...) then Point No. 2 (flux, err,  
> spco...)
> etc.

Just as a matter of interest, you may recall a big fight between  
VOEvent and Space-Time Coordinates, about a year. The main sticking  
point was the use of arrays in this manner, which some parsers and  
code-binders would not accept. The resolution was that STC agreed to  
give up XML arrays and make the array elements into separate XML  
elements. Therefore I urge you not to use these XML arrays again. Or  
if you insist on doing so, please justify by doing the hard work in  
advance to decide if these are parsable easily by the people who  
would use them.

On a larger point, let is not get caught in the trap of trying to  
make "readable XML". If the XML is too verbose, it is time to get  
computers to read and write it instead of using notepad and vi ;-) If  
there is a timing inefficiency in processing too much XML, then use a  
binary format. Remind me, is there a FITS serialization for the  
Spectrum Data Model?

Roy

California Institute of Technology
626 395 3670

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