ECMA announced (with an online PDF?!?) it is completing what it calls E4X (ECMAScript for XML). The goal of this extension is to standardize the syntax and semantics of a general-purpose, cross-platform, vendor-neutral set of programming language extensions adding native XML support in ECMAScript.
John Schneider's article on BEA's dev2dev site that illustrates the concept and value of native XML scripting in detail.
This is really exciting stuff that should contribute significantly to the development of more lightweight and fluid Internet applications that can take full advantage emerging spectrum of Web services in a rapid and efficient manner.
This development reflects my thinking in how Sun should (but probably won't) simplify Java development and why Flash/SWF is on track to achieve a great deal of success in developing Internet applications. Insights from Adam Bosworth, Jon Udell and Ward Cunningham have reinforced and contributed to my views further.
Incidentally Adam Bosworth was instrumental in driving the E4X effort. It is no surprise that BEA is the first to implement it in a product given the fact Bosworth is their Vice President of Engineering and public face for technologists.
What do you think of native XML scripting in ECMAScript?
Step in the right direction
I think that this represents a step in the right direction, since using the current DOM is really a pain.
This could really make itself useful when combined with SVG.
IBM Lightweight Services
Scripting clearly plays a role in enterprise development. BSF and Rhino are great examples. IBM's Lightweight Services, which uses BSF and Rhino, is another example of where scripting can fit in a J2EE environment.
http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/lws
java
Maybe this can be done in java as well, by modifying the compiler as is done to integrate generics.
re: native xml scripting
Native XML Scripting is just a great idea.
So many techniques have been proposed to work
with xml: DOM, SAX, XSLT, ...
Yet native xml scripting seems the easiest, the most obvious, the good one...
It makes me wonder why it took so long to arrive.
seppia
in case your appetite for e4x has grown
have look at http://www.seppia.org/
Seppia is a simple framework to build and deploy any java application.
It gains from the sinergy of java and javascript and a minimum set of clear rules to organize their interaction.