[CQ-Contest] XML for real-time score reporting

[Bruce Horn]

At 05:33 AM 7/19/2006, Ken Alexander wrote:
>Thanks Pete and David for providing the link.
>
>Allow me to introduce myself:  I am The Lowest Common
>Denominator.  I'm the guy you have to dumb
>instructions down for so that everybody understands
>them, and I don't see anything on that page that
>explains what I have to do or how to do it.

The XML for real-time score reporting page is meant for those working on 
developing an XML standard based method of reporting contest scores in 
real-time. Once a standard and methods to use the standard have been agreed 
upon, then logging software authors, scoreboard authors and anyone else 
interested can use the standard to implement a system for real-time score 
reporting. This web page is not meant to provide users with instructions on 
how to use report scores in real time - we're not ready for that yet.

>By comparison, W2EV's RFSport Logger is beauty and
>simplicity itself.  There's a clearly identified
>application that the user downloads, installs and
>runs.  Once you set it up (a trivial matter) it takes
>care of everything else.

It's always easier to implement a system that is the product of a single 
individual's thinking. W2EV has produced an interesting system for score 
reporting. It's a complete product that you can use. However, it's 
proprietary, it is not designed to be incorporated into a variety of 
logging software, it only works with one centralized reporting point and it 
will not scale well.

Those working on the XML-based standard have had some experimental 
scoreboards active for the major HF contests in late 2005 and early 2006 
that were based on preliminary versions of the standard, but it's not a 
finished product. We're still actively discussing the details of the 
standard -- a sometimes messy and potentially contentious process. The 
standard is designed to accommodate any contest -- it's not preferential to 
either HF or VHF/UHF contesting. I'm certainly interested in anyone 
pointing out limitations of the standard to any subset of contesting, so we 
can address it.

As a user, you won't need to understand XML, DTDs or any of the inner 
workings to use score reporting systems based on the standard. The messy 
details will be hidden by your logging software and the scoreboard(s).

If you're interested in learning more about XML, there are many books on 
the subject.

73 de Bruce, WA7BNM   (bhorn at hornucopia.com)