XML is more than just the browser

["Pete Cordell" <petexmldev@codalogic.com>]

<rant>

This list seems obsessed with XML in the browser.  Somehow HTML5 even 
managed to get into the 'ignore the browser' thread!  To me XML is so much 
more than just a feed to the browser.

For me HTML5 is just the Win32 of the networked age.  Interesting and 
useful, but not the be all and end all.

I glibly mentioned in an earlier post that I wanted my corn flake packets to 
report when they were nearly empty.  In a yet more contrived example I can 
imagine my cake packet reporting that I had eaten two slices of cake. 
Having used a service to check the calorific value of that cake, and using 
my local configuration file to indicate that I prefer cycling to running, my 
system can calculate that I need to do 3 days of cycling to burn that off. 
Using a mapping service, a suitable route has been calculated, and my diary 
service has been used to find a time when I'm free to do it.  It's booked me 
a hotel, and it's interrogated my bike to find out that I have a flat tire, 
and I can get a replacement at the second nearest cycle shop (checked via 
mapping) because the nearest one is out of stock.  The results of this have 
been pushed to my mobile phone as an e-mail and suitable additions to my 
calendar.

No browser in sight!  Way more exciting than just rendering boring HTML IMO!

This is enabled by a ubiquitous data format.  A mash-up, if you will, of 
numerous different sources of data to enable this to happen.

There's a few things to note. My cake packet and bike don't want to run 
massive amounts of software, especially if my cake packet is disposable. 
Things like the cycle shop interface may be developed by very under skilled 
developers, perhaps just the owners child or something like that.

So big, heavy and complex is out.  Something light and simple is required. 
I think that could be MicroXML.

In terms of a business case, there are dozens of 'light-weight' or 
'high-speed' XML implementations on the web that are not full XML stacks. 
To me, this is programmers voting with their feet (or their fingers) that 
they don't want the full XML stack.  That shows the demand is there.  What 
would be really helpful is an agreed minimal format that can satisfy all of 
these parties, and then we can build exciting tools on this common 
infrastructure.

</rant>


Pete Cordell
Codalogic Ltd
Interface XML to C++ the easy way using C++ XML
data binding to convert XSD schemas to C++ classes.
Visit http://codalogic.com/lmx/ or http://www.xml2cpp.com
for more info