Re: almost four years ago....

[XML Everywhere <host@xmleverywhere.com>]

Sometimes I think I'm in the minority of those
who believe XML is still usable and elegant.

I use XML on a daily basis and I too
pick and choose.  For example, I still use DTDs
but I am a huge fan of XSLT, SAX, and
the DOM.  I will move to XSD some
day, just as soon as my toolset supports it.

XML has evolved and I think it has done so
necessarily.

Is the DOM API easy to implement?  XSLT?  No
and no.  I'm not sure what "ease of implementation"
means, but if you want to go out and
write yourself a robust XML parser, you
must have a lot of time on your hands.  From
a user's perspective, all sorts of high
quality, free tools are abundant, which
makes "implementing" XML, by
which I mean simply using XML in
one way or another, a breeze.  The tools
are there, just use them.  If you don't
like namespaces, don't use them (I
don't).  If you don't like attributes, avoid them.
etc.

XML has to be the most flexible
technology I have ever used, and
unfortunetely, any flexible tool can become a noose.
Thus there will always be complaints about
how XML has become unwieldy,
and likewise there will always be those who
use the technology simply because it
solves a real problem.

----- Original Message -----
From: "David E. Cleary" <davec@progress.com>
To: <xml-dev@lists.xml.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2001 7:24 PM
Subject: Re: almost four years ago....



----- Original Message -----
From: "Williams, David" <DAVID.WILLIAMS@ca.com>


> I was just reading some of the old articles on xml.com's features list,
and came across:
> "XML has been designed for maximum expressive power, maximum teachability,
and maximum ease of implementation."
> -Oct'97 John Bosak article (off of xml.com)
>
> Are all three still true?  I think they are all still _potentially_
true...  Are the current manifestations of XML living up to this statement,
though?

You are free to choose the tools and APIs yopu want with absolutly zero
change in how that
XML document you recieved looks. Unless you need features above and beyond
what
was in XML 1.0 such as rich datatypes, there is no additional complexity
added.