Re: Is it a good idea to make your WADL available?

On Sep 5, 2006, at 1:12 PM, Mark Nottingham wrote:
>
> Don't get me wrong -- I think WADL is the bee's knees, and very 
> much want to see it succeed. However, looking at the landscape of 
> possible ways it could help, and possible ways it could hurt, I'm 
> inclined to be conservative -- possibly because I'm very directly 
> accountable for the recommendations I make :)
>
It would help those of us in the business of building tools if you 
could list some ways it could hurt so we can avoid them - I have my 
own ideas of course but I'd rather not prejudice your response by 
listing them upfront.
> That's why I primarily see it as a modelling tool / convenience for 
> design time, rather than something to give to clients. Not because 
> those clients will misuse it -- as Marc pointed out earlier, 
> they'll always find some way to misuse it -- but because it will 
> lead people on the server side into the temptation of relying on it.
>
Again, could you give some examples of the harm publishing a WADL 
could do to folks working on the server side ? Given that those same 
folks are responsible for the content of the WADL I'd have thought 
some policy on what is permissible to include in a WADL would be 
sufficient to prevent any anticipated harm.
> Of course, the availability of compelling client-side tools that 
> encourage good practice might help convince me otherwise.
>
As a potential vendor of such tools I'm open to any and all 
suggestions ;-).
Marc.
---
Marc Hadley <marc.hadley at sun.com>
Business Alliances, CTO Office, Sun Microsystems.

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