Re: [xml-dev] Not using mixed content? Then don't use XML

["Simon St.Laurent" <simonstl@simonstl.com>]

The subject line has been precisely my advice for at least the last five 
years, at least to people who aren't especially interested in markup for 
the sake of markup.

Thanks,
Simon

On 3/23/13 11:04 AM, Costello, Roger L. wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
> First a few definitions:
>
> ----------------
> Sweet spot
> ----------------
>      A place where there a maximum response for
>      a given amount of effort.
>
> --------------------
> Mixed content
> --------------------
>      An element has mixed content if its content is a
>      mix of data and elements. Here is an example of
>      mixed content:
>
>      <condition>The patient exhibited <emp>extreme</emp>
>                         arrhythmia</condition>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> Data-centric versus Document-centric content
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>      Data-centric content is where there is no mixed content,
>      document-centric content is where there is mixed content.
>
> -----------------------------
> Semi-structured data
> -----------------------------
>      A synonym for mixed content.
>
>
> Okay, now for the issue at hand:
>
>      Should you use XML?
>
>
> Sean McGrath says [1]:
>
>      XML's sweet spot is mixed content.
>
>      If you are not using mixed content, then there
>      are a trillion and one ways of representing data-centric
>      content, most programming languages do it out-of-the-box.
>
>      If you absolutely, totally, never, ever will need mixed
>      content then there are sane alternatives to XML.
>
>      There always has been alternatives, from humble CSV up to
>      fancier JSON/Python/Ruby direct data expression languages.
>
>      A huge chunk of the world doesn't need mixed content or
>      even know what it is.
>
>      It has always been a source of worry that folks with perfectly
>      good relational data sets have felt compelled by buzz-pressure
>      to put their content into XML - very little gain in the general case.
>
>
> Professor Daniel Lemire says [2]:
>
>      XML is great for dealing with semi-structured data.
>
>      Alas, we ended up torturing XML by applying it to ill-suited
>      purposes.
>
>      We must learn how to select the best format. Does your data
>      look like a table? Can a flat file do the job? Do you need a
>      key-value format like JSON? Or maybe a simple text file?
>      Take a good look at your data before picking a format for it.
>
>
> Conclusion:
>      If your problem doesn't need mixed content, then don't use XML.
>
> Comments?
>
> /Roger
>
> [1] http://seanmcgrath.blogspot.com/2007/01/mixed-content-trying-to-understand-json.html
>
> [2] http://lemire.me/blog/archives/2010/11/17/you-probably-misunderstand-xml/
>
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-- 
Simon St.Laurent
http://simonstl.com/