The Busy Java Developer's Guide to Google Protocol Buffers
Google has done it again, surprising the industry with another open-source project; this time, they've chosen to tackle the message format corner of the industry, releasing their “Protocol Buffers” implementation for the world to use and examine, one that is, in their words, “XML, but smaller, faster, and more efficient”.
In this presentation, we'll look at the basics of Protocol Buffers: the protoc compiler; the generated Java (and C++ and Python) code for consuming and producing Protocol Buffer files; the Protocol Buffer Language itself; the “rpc” and “service” functionality; and some of the various advanced options within the language.
Finally, to close out the discussion, we'll talk about the inevitable “XML vs Protocol Buffers” debate, when each will be most useful, and why/where/how a company would start using Protocol Buffers for its own purposes.
