XML May Get Marginalized
September 29, 2009
I found the write up by Jack Vaughan interesting and thought provoking. XML (a wonderful acronym for Extensible Markup Language), a child of CALS and SGML, two fine parents in my opinion, may have its salad days behind it. You can read “XML on the Wane? Say It Isn’t So, Jack” and make up your own mind. Let’s assume that XML is a bum and no longer the lunch guest of big name executives. What happens? First, the Google methods are what I would call “quasi XML”; that is, XML in but Googley once processed by the firm’s proprietary recipes. My view is that Google gets an advantage because its internal data management methods, disclosed to some extent in its open source technical documents, remains above the fray. Second, if XML goes the way of the dodo, then the outfit with the optimal transformation tools can act like one of those infomercial slicers and dicers—for a fee, of course. Finally, the publishers who have invested in XML face yet another expense. More costs will probably thin the herd. In a quest for more revenue, XML junkies may be forced to boost their prices which will further narrow their customer base. In short, if XML gets the bum’s rush, Google may get a boost and others get a dent in the pocketbook.
Stephen Arnold, September 29, 2009
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2 Responses to “XML May Get Marginalized”
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Hi Stephen,
Let’s not forget that there are effectively two uses of XML: [1] as an envelope for inter-application communications and [2] a document format standard.
I won’t speak to case [1] which, imho, is what the cited article is aobut.
On case [2], however, I am virtually positive that XML is not on the wane but on the rise — in fact, it’s probably just a few minutes past dawn to over-stretch the metaphor.
Why do I say this: ALL NEW MAJOR DOCUMENT FORMATS ARE XML BASED. Office 2007 Open XML. Adobe’s IDML. Open Office Open Document Format (ODF).
And that’s not to mention industry-specific XML standards like HL7, FPML, XBRL.
Dave Kellogg,
I agree that XML is here to stay. I pointed to the write up because I found the author’s viewpoint interesting, and I try to keep track of those who go against my flow.
Stephen Arnold, October 1, 2009