XML Promises and challenges
XML Born
XML (Extensible Markup Language) 1.0 standard was published February 10, 1998.
XML was born from the shortcomings of SGML [Structured Generalized Markup Language] which
was hugely complex, massively flexible and just plain hard to work with for many developers.
XML has taken off because it has all the best of SGML without many of the weakness.
XML Goal
XML took us beyond mere presentation of information and into the realm of representation of information. This content is not just a mass of data to be rendered solely for viewing on a web browser. Now the content could be structured and the meaning attached to this structure could be transmitted as well.
HTML's difficulties:
1- HTML does not reveal anything about the information to which HTML tags are applied.
HTML tag names don't describe what content is, they only imply how content appears. For example the html tag "Microsoft" appears on a web browser but HTML can not tell is it a computer corporation? A Software? A Brand name?
2- Web applications relied too much on scripts at the server to process the data. This makes the web slow and contributes to internet traffic.
3- You can't add new tags to HTML Language that are meaningful and useful.
4- HTML is a presentation technology only.
XML Success
The Java technology, enables browsers to function as generalized application platforms. The result is True platform independence. XML provides information rich in metadata specified in a standard format, XML and Java technology make it possible for more of an application's work to be processed at a client side. This contrasts with the tendency of HTML pages to rely on a script back at the server. With XML and Java technology, more client-based application
processing could reduce network and internet traffic, making the web faster.
XML challenges
Converting any information from a display format such as HTML, RTF, MIF, or PostScript to a
structured format like XML will require that you understand what your information really contains. This requires a document analysis and the termination of information semantics on which different parts of your enterprise rely. Many enterprises in different business sectors have established industry standard information models that can be expressed in XML and, more importantly, can be shared.Once the relevant information models and their expressions in XML are constructed, the effort to convert existing information into the XML format can proceed. It may or may not be painful,
depending on the condition of the existing documents. These efforts can be done in house, or they can be completed with the help of qualified consultants.
XML Resources:
Easy XML is a simple XML editor that aids in the rapid building of XML applications.
Microsoft XML for SQL Web allows you to query
database tables and receive the results as an XML document.
Microsoft XML Notepad is a simple HTML
prototyping application for building and editing small sets of XML-based data.
Microsoft XML Validation Tool checks that an XML file is well formed.
XML Spy is a powerful XML editor.
XMetaL is an advanced, simple-to-deploy
XML authoring tool that delivers an unprecedented ease of use
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