xml-dev - Re: PC Week on "Why XML is Failing" ?????

[Paul Tchistopolskii <paul@qub.com>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Michael Champion 
 
> Likewse, "Encoding data in XML will let various platforms 'talk' to each
> other" doesn't mention that XML is just a common platform-neutral syntax,
> and still requires hard work it takes to map semantic concepts from one
> application to another. Again, Mr. Ballmer is not saying anything *wrong*,
> just making it easy for the audience to believe that XML is a much bigger
> part of the solution than it is in reality.  That's what I consider "hype".

That's something I don't understand. Sun, Netscape, Oracle, W3C 
( or any other big structure ) make exactly  the same statements
on some subjects ( including XML, BTW ) so that it becomes easy 
for the audience to belive that some thing ( usualy produced by 
that 'big structure'  itself ) is much bigger  part of  the solution than it 
is in reality.  That means we should call any piece of 'pozitive' 
information that we are receiving to be a 'hype' ? 

<generalization>

The sad story is that in the area of software development, IT, one 
experienced developer can still be 10 times as efficient  as ten morons 
( even those morons will be  using very modern tools ). This proportion 
has not changed significantly since Brooks wrote it down ( 30 years ago...
and of course he was not using the word 'moron'... but 30 years ago 
everybody have to get some minimal education to work in IT. Not today, 
so probably the word 'moron' is accurate.)

I mean that any  tool is rarely biggest part of the  solution.  
Developer is the biggest part of the solution. Selling any 
tools is a 'hype'  then ;-)

</generalization>

I still don't think Ballmer said anything 'worster'  than 'typical' CEO
should say.

I think that in this article he is in much better shape than 
'typical' CEO's are. 
 
> I still think that it's absurd to say that "XML is Failing" because it
> doesn't live up to this hype, but after reading Mr. Ballmer's words I'm
> willing to concede that a reasonable and responsible journalist could find
> the gap between the hype and reality newsworthy.

This is another issue ( and another article ;-)  and I absolutely agree with 
you that "XML is Failing" is plain absurd.  How can something fail 
before it has been tried?

Rgds.Paul.



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