More binary XML

[Stefan Zier <Stefan.Zier@syntion.com>]

Guys,

having read the threads on binary XML representation, here's a little
braindump.

I agree that one important reason to use XML is human-readability and the
tremendous amout of software (e.g. parsers) that supports this format. In my
opinion, however, there are extreme applications where in fact the textual
representation of XML documents might not fit due to resource constraints -
those applications include mobile applications such as WAP and very
high-volume applications. In both cases, computing power is unlikely to be
the reason to switch to a binary format - it is in many cases the limited
bandwidth that is available for communication.

Thus, I think that a binary representation of XML documents does make sense
as a way to enable the use of XML in such extreme applications. WAP with its
WBXML binary representation is the best example that it does make sense. As
in WAP, it could be as simple as plugging in gateways for critical paths of
communication.

A generic binary format would take away the pain of creating specialized
binary representations for different applications - WBXML is actually almost
generic. I think the critical question here is: Can we come up with a
one-size-fits-all solution that fits most relevant applications well enough
to be useful?

Comments?

---------------------------------------
Stefan Zier
Software Developer
Syntion AG - http://www.syntion.com
Leonrodplatz 2 - 80636 Munich/Germany
Phone +49 89 52 30 45-0
Fax +49 89 52 30 45-20