It's too late to improve XML ... lessons learned?

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

Michael Kay wrote:

> we've learnt as a community that trying to improve XML
> doesn't work: the standard is too deeply embedded.

Yes, I can see that. On this very list there have been several attempts to improve XML and none of the attempts gained much traction.

So what is the lesson to be learned from this? How about this:

	When creating a new standard, get it right in its
 	first version because if the standard is a success
 	you likely won't get a chance to improve it later on. 

Is that the lesson to be learned? If so, how to ensure that you "get it right"? For instance, what could the XML Working Group have done differently to get it right? Should the XML Working Group have delayed the release of the XML standard for a year or two until a sizeable group of people had had the opportunity to work with XML and report on its warts?

/Roger