[Coin-discuss] Open-source Modeling Languages

[Leo Lopes]

> I don't think that human readability is the major issue.  Rather, it's
> the difficulty of reading/writing correct XML from a program in a
> language like C or Fortran without depending on someone else's
> library.  It's easy to produce an MPS file with a bunch of loops and
> printf's.  Reading an MPS file is somewhat more difficult but not too
> hard.  It wouldn't be nearly as easy to do the same things with the
> corresponding OSiL XML.

But don't forget that XML manipulation is quickly becoming standard in
all general purpose languages, much as string output is, and a
standard part of the Programming 101 courses. At that point, building
a tree becomes simpler even than writing MPS, with the advantage that
the output can be validated. Furtheremore, I believe OSiL has APIs at
least in Java and C++ (Kipp: lease confirm or clarify) which means
that as customers have a need for the API in other languages they will
wrap it.


-- 
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Leonardo B. Lopes                                    leo at sie.arizona.edu
Assistant Professor                                        (520)621-2342
SIE - University of Arizona  http://www.sie.arizona.edu/faculty/leolopes