XOM API for Processing XML with Java

[Elliotte Harold - java FAQ <elharo AT metalab.unc.edu>]

Yesterday, I gave a talk about XOM at Software Development 2004 West. The 
notes are here:

http://www.cafeconleche.org/slides/sd2004west/xom/

During the talk I noticed a couple of things I'd like to change:

1. I think I can delete the abstract toString() method in Node. All nodes 
have toString anyway because Object does, and the actual implementations 
in the subclasses won't change. I don't think this will actually break any 
code. The main advantage is that I reduce by one the XOM score in the 
table comparing the number of methods in DOM, JDOM, and XOM.  (This is 
like golf. Low scores are good.)

2. This is the serious one. There are currently these two methods in 
Builder:

public Document build(String systemID);
public Document build(String document, String baseURI);

Yesterday it occurred to me that the second one is backwards. In keeping 
with the general principle of overloading methods by adding successive 
arguments (Does anyone have a reference on that?) I think these should be:

public Document build(String systemID);
public Document build(String baseURI, String document);

Then, maybe one of the arguments should be renamed; e.g.

public Document build(String systemID);
public Document build(String systemID, String document);

or

public Document build(String baseURI);
public Document build(String baseURI, String document);

or perhaps just:

public Document build(String uri);
public Document build(String uri, String document);


So I have two questions:

1. Does anyone want to argue in favor of not flipping the arguments?
2. What should the name of the first argument be? baseURI, systemID, uri, 
or something else?

--
Elliotte Rusty Harold     
elharo AT metalab.unc.edu    
elharo AT macfaq.com