Re: Examples of ASN.1 for SMIng.txt

[Andy Bierman <abierman@cisco.com>]

At 05:25 AM 12/12/2001, Olivier DUBUISSON wrote:
>Andy Bierman wrote:
>> 
>> I don't know if others feel this way, but to me, the fact that
>> SMIv2 is derived from ASN.1 is irrelevant. The syntax is what it
>> is, and I learned SMIv2 without ever learning ASN.1.
>
>Put it the other way round: Without ever leaning ASN.1, you've learned a
>big part of it anyway. So you're ready to take ASN.1 as the language for
>SMIng ;-)
>
>> So the fact that there is a 'better' ASN.1 out there is
>> also irrelevant to me.
>
>Are you saying that you don't mind using a flawed notation or at least a
>notation that is not the best one? Are you saying that you don't mind
>burdening the future by keeping away of a powerful technology?

I want the best notation we can get for the least amount
of training and development costs.  I don't think the SMIv2
syntax is very good, but it is familiar, and it's what we
picked many years ago.  I don't want to make a lot of gratuitous 
changes to the syntax -- I don't like upper case DESCRIPTION
better than lower case, but some things you just have to get
as correct as possible the first time.  

>I'm afraid I'm going to be a bit rude (but John Larmouth has been before
>me when he wrote that "ASN.1 was not born in the right world"! -- and
>please Andy don't take this as an attack against you):
>I've not yet seen a good argument against ASN.1. IMO most of the remarks
>seem to be along the lines of "We don't want ASN.1 because it is ASN.1".
>I honestly hope it is not the case. I don't want to be considered as a
>zealot, I just want the contribution to be validated against the
>requirements with real/good technical arguments.

I don't want to use ASN.1 because I think it's difficult to read, 
difficult to write, not widely used  (either by a large number
of people or a significant number of technical domains), and 
no substantial body of tools (free or commercial).

Do you have a reason why we SHOULD use ASN.1, other than "it's ASN.1"?

>-- 
>Olivier DUBUISSON

Andy