NVDL: A Disruptive Technology

["Costello, Roger L." <costello@mitre.org>]

Hi Folks,

Here are the evolutionary (disruptive) changes I envision NVDL bringing
about in the marketplace:


1. Opens the marketplace to utilizing a variety of schema languages.  

Previously, you and all your trading partners were locked into using
one schema language (typically W3C XML Schema) if you wanted
interoperability.  With NVDL that limitation is lifted and you can
achieve interoperability while using a variety of schema languages.


2. Promotes using the right schema language for the right job. 

XML Schema and Relax NG are two schema languages for expressing
grammar-based rules. They are both standards, the former a W3C
standard, the later an ISO standard.  Although their capabilities are
largely overlapping, there are important differences.  "Use the right
tool for the right job" is an adage that applies to choosing a schema
language. Knowing the differences in capabilities is important to
making a good decision in choosing a schema language. 


3. Encourages the creation of small, simple, independent schemas,
written in any schema language.  

Rick Jelliffe captures this nicely in his article "Standardize The
Jellybeans Not The Jars"
http://www.oreillynet.com/xml/blog/2007/11/standardize_the_jellybeans_n
ot.html


4. Moves the application developer's focus from: 

       "using a schema" 
 
   to:  

       "using XML vocabularies"


Can you think of other changes that NVDL may bring about in the
marketplace?


/Roger