update please

[Brian Cluff]

> It looks like the C++ verison of xerces will work
> (http://xml.apache.org/xerces-c/index.html). A while ago it was often
> said that the C++ verison was way behind the Java version but that
> doesn't seem to still be the case. Since xerces is an apache project I
> don't think we'll have license problems. The short answer to what SAX is
>    : SAX is an *event* driven parser for XML as opposed to the DOM which
> has to build a massive in-memory map of the entire document to parse SAX
> can go directly to the event that you call. This allows large XML
> documents to be accessed about as fast as a database would (of course
> there are exceptions). Anyway this would let us have all the flexiblity
> that XML would offer without have to give up speed. As I assume the
> documents would get rather big.

I doubt the documents would get very big, but the speed of the entire system
as a whole should be very fast.  It needs to be able to support a large
school (possibly hundreds of kids accessing it all at once), or sevral
smaller school... like we will be using it for.

How is PHP's XML parser?
I see something more like a formula language, maybe something like
Staroffice uses.  The teacher can create the formulas in Staroffice or some
other similar program and then paste the formula for the math equasion into
the program.  Eventually a javascript/java version of the same thing could
be put in so that they can build them online.   Although I believe the
random generation of the test/homework will be more important.  We will need
a way so that a random homework assignment or test can be given out and
printed and then later through a serial number or login have it entered in
via scan tron, taken online or have a quick answer input form so that poor
schools could quickly enter answers without a scantron or other scanner
device... we have 2 different scanners that could use some sort of driver...
mostly scantron since it is fairly common and standard.

Brian Cluff