Eric Newcomer wrote:
> Gregg - you did your own validation of this in explaining why programmers
> need help decoding the contents of an XML document and mapping it to
> objects and procedures. That's basically what Web services are about -
> they are applications of XML that provide standardized formats and
> conventions for extracting and interpreting data, operations, and
> instructions.
What I think is interesting is that it's only the people who think the bits
that
they send across the wire should all be readable by their eyes, without any
tools, who are stuck with extra layers of tools to validate and shape those
bits
into usable streams.
Those who are happy to use a programming language's native bit formats, or
other
standardized bit streams (read published protocols that are not XML oriented),
don't have to have such tools, pay for them, or pay to learn about them.
That is the point that I was driving. Sure, XML is a way to structure bits.
But, it's not at all necessary. And, because the data as XML seems so friendly
and useful, some think that every bit of configuration, specification etc
should
also be represented in this format, because the structure validation, editing
tools and other things seem to make it easier to use the XML data in varied
ways.
I see great big compromises in the design and structure of such things because
of the narrow set of things that can be easily represented in XML. My broker
uses XML to specify the structure of binary data to aid in extraction. I like
that, because I can use XSL to format a printable description of a binary
structure, and use the same XML to drive the operations of my broker. I also
use XML to describe the delivery of data out of the broker to databases and
other types of destinations that can't 'subscribe'. That XML structure lets
you
specify SQL statements with parameters, extract values, do calculations on them
etc.
So, I'm not against XML. But, I am not in favor of the way the XML messaging
and web services developments are using XML for things where XML is not really
adding value, only narrowing the field of application.
Gregg Wonderly
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