RE: [xml-dev] "Introducing MicroXML, Part 1: Explore the basic principle

["Len Bullard" <Len.Bullard@ses-i.com>]

From: Rushforth, Peter [mailto:Peter.Rushforth@NRCan-RNCan.gc.ca] 

>>But, don't you mean the browser owns the parse?

The wrapper language handler does.   HTML is a quasi-layout language
with minimum structural support.   It hits the 80/20 fairly well.   XML
is a syntax for data formats.  In practice, it's a 60/40: a little too
heavy, a little too verbose, a little too anemic.  So not quite an
object and that makes programmers unhappy and not really a clean tree
and that makes the graph theorists unhappy.

>>> And it will die rather more quickly than anyone suspects, but 
>>> that is a prediction yet to be realized.

>>Maybe because MicroXML will replace it?

No, I say that because so far I've not seen a convincing technical or
economic argument for switching.  I really don't know why it was created
but I confess to not paying attention.  There isn't a lot of payoff for
staying up to the minute on these developments when one isn't a browser
developer of some sort.

>> It won't exactly get reinvented. Mauled and rebranded is more 
>> likely.  I believe, and John can correct me, MicroXML is a 
>> JSON competitor because it turns out XML is not the best 
>> solution to the problem it was touted to solve: bits on the 
>> wire.  On the other hand, let's say Microsoft makes noise 
>> with its Javascript patent, then JSON doesn't look too 
>> healthy and that is precisely why markup if not XML was 
>> invented and why keeping it free of application layers is A 
>> Good Thing.

>Holy Cow!

Sita Sings the Blues.   I don't think they will but I've been surprised
before.

>>I can see that.  But at the same time, it could be amortized over a
long, 
>>long time, right, because not every application is going to start
>>using those hypermedia affordances on day 1.

What can they do that they can't do now?  That is the critical question.

>>Next time you're in Ottawa, I owe you a beer!

I appreciate that.  I am a hermit though.  I dropped out of the scene
years ago and although Lauren convinced me to come out once or twice, my
time is past.  Think of me as the grave digger in The Ghost Rider.  I
know where the bodies are buried because I had to bury them.  I'm
possibly the last guy who had the debate you are having.  :)   It is an
obvious and proven workable idea but so is down
translation/transformation.

>>Trying to stay off the third rail,

That's wise.  Once the bike starts sparking flames, the chains come out.


len