xml-dev - Bad use of XML ?

[ashvil@i3Connect.com (Ashvil)]

The new MS Media Player 7 uses XML for skins.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/imedia/windowsmedia/wmpskins.asp#wmpskins
_creating

Sample Theme file
<THEME>
   <VIEW
      clippingColor = "#CCCC00"
      backgroundImage = "background.bmp"
      titleBar = "false">

      <BUTTONGROUP
         mappingImage = "map.bmp"
         hoverImage = "hover.bmp">

      <PLAYELEMENT
         mappingColor = "#00FF00" />

      <STOPELEMENT
         mappingColor = "#FF0000" />

      </BUTTONGROUP>

   </VIEW>
</THEME>

There are two ways of looking at this
1. This is Bad and will encourage every one to come up with their own flavor
of XML. XHTML should have been used to describe Skins and any other UI
standards.
If Skins require more than what XHTML currently provides, then that
functionality needs to be added as an XHTML module. etc...

2. This is good. It allows developers to focus on the task of creating the
Theme using simple tags (and not having to learn XHTML). XSLT could then be
used to convert this into XHTML. etc...

Counter point to 2.
If the focus is to hide the developers from XHTML, then a visual XHTML tool
could be used to generate XHTML directly. etc...

....

What do other list members think of everyone generating their own XML file
format to represent common data, in this case the data is visual data. Or is
this a small issue due to tools like XSLT ?

Thx,
Ashvil








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