Re: [xml-dev] XML is Mobile Code? [was: Defining an XML vocabulary:spec

[COUTHURES Alain <alain.couthures@agencexml.com>]

My point of view is that XML is a notation for anything we want and that an XML document can always be interpreted as data or orders.

I don't see a major difference when we write a <table> element in an XHTML page between :

• the declarative approach : there is a table element at this location of the current page
• the imperative approach : draw a table on the screen

Even a web service can be interpreted as a semantic transformation : for example, "current temperature at Bordeaux" is replaced by "13°C".

For me, it's also restrictive to consider that XML is for mobility only. I like the comparison between XML and ASCII. ASCII is everywhere so should XML because it's an upper level for structuring electronic data of any kind (programs, records,...).

Alain COUTHURES
<agenceXML>
http://www.agencexml.com
Bordeaux, France