Re: [xsl] suggestions for per request xslt performance?

[Abel Braaksma <abel.online@xxxxxxxxx>]

Andrew Mason wrote:
> It's also not just PHP that operates on a  per request
> basis. Most scripting 
> languages work with apache in this way. Thus they will have
> a significant 
> portion of each request time taken to import the stylesheet.
>
> I don't particularly like PHP either, [...] and I've got 0
> chance of getting 
> the system admin to run apache2.
>   

Are you really serious of staying with your job? ... ;)

I vaguely remember having used PHP with some memcache module that tries 
to keep objects available in memory. Is that something you could try? 
Possibly it only works with Apache 2.0 or 2.2 though...
>  I am sure 
> that we could convince the boss to pay someone to add this
> functionality, 

Good to know. Have you considered the following, which is often chosen 
when something cannot (or can't easily) be done in the current language 
you are using: create a small project with an open interface, with a 
language that does your job best (Java, or anything) and use your own 
tools (PHP) to write to that interface.

It really isn't that hard to make. If I understand you correctly you 
have a situation where you:
 - can't control what system is used (openBSD)
 - can't control what language is used (PHP)
 - can't control what techniques or tools are used (libxslt)

Perhaps you can convince your sysadmin to create one (separate) sandbox 
system, where you have all control (you use, say, Java + Saxon, which 
gives you the freedom of XSLT 2.0 and any Unix variant that your 
sysadmin digs *and* can run Java JVM). Now, it should not take anything 
more than a few days to build a SOAP server, and make PHP send a SOAP 
message to this server where the returned message contains the 
transformed XML.

This way you will have a lot of freedom in controlling both performance 
and your techniques of choice (i.e., pragmatic programmers should 
*always* choose the best tool that fits a job, not the tool they 
understand best or is easiest available) because you completely separate 
this module from the rest of your sources.

If you need such a system I am happy to help you with both the Java and 
PHP part (but contact me offlist then and we discuss the requirements).

HTH,

Cheers,
-- Abel Braaksma