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On Wed, 4 May 2005 1:04 am, you wrote:
> Actually, I believe we know pretty well the boundaries
> of what can be done with XML: data transport. It's
> a coffee cup: lots of shapes and styles but one
> basic topology.
but "knowing" and seeing are two different things.
As an example, I know that I should be able to get
an electronic receipt loaded from the service station
into (an accounting system in) my mobile phone when
I go to pay. But seeing that in practice is something
that is yet to happen.
To label it just "data transport" removes any form
of personalisation and connection with a personal
experience. I think that is a major shortcoming.
I doubt that we have had all "the possible" personal
experiences with xml that we could ever imagine.
Just as there is coffee and there is coffee. Even the
customer experience that one can have with a simple
cup of coffee has evolved somewhat over the
last 20 years.
So I would say that there is still room for change yet
over the next twenty years - even in coffee drinking
where one would think that the choices are fairly
limited.
> The subtleties are in applications. There can be lots
> of those and there are lots of semantics, but XML is
> blithely ignorant of those. A very high percentage of
> the discussions on this and other lists that talk about
> 'doing XML' are really about 'applying' XML.
Exactly. It's a 'customer experience' thing.
> There are overlapping areas though that should get
> our attention. One of these is indexing and automated
> categorization. Vector models are pretty good at both.
This is out of my field... I actually have no idea what
this is about. Maybe it's the next big thing...
> If you have the vector indices, do you need the markup?
Sounds like the big guns are moving their focus away
from xml onto more potentially profitable pastures.
Maybe xml has been milked to the point where there
are no longer any big and easy profits to be made.
I detect that this is really the question that you are
asking, rather than anything to do with markup itself.
(xml) Markup is an extension of the English language.
It makes sense to use it in applications such as
Accounting systems and other day-to-day systems.
So while it sounds like you might be ready to move
onto bigger and better things, I doubt that the
practical uses of things like xml will be going away
anytime soon.
Regards
David
--
Computergrid : The ones with the most connections win.
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