XML (Extensible Markup Language)
A subset of SGML, XML is used to create and exchange documents with structured sets of information.
This can include both traditional documents (newspaper articles, for example) and lists of data (order forms, for example). XML provides a standard way to mark up documents. It can be useful both for outputting documents in a variety of formats and for sharing data between different applications and trading partners. XML, by way of such subsets as SOAP and
UDDI, has become a critical part of many
Web services efforts.
Its great strength is also its great weakness. Anybody can come up with markup tags, which gives it great flexibility (hence the name "extensible"). But that can also make it difficult for two parties to agree on tags and definitions (which is an issue the EDI community has faced for years).
Additional resources
XML audio primerListen to an explanation of the XML's history, benefits and drawbacks.
XML: The glue for unifed messaging
Network World, 04/22/02.
XML research center
Latest news, analysis and opinion from Network World.
Downloads: XML
Downloadable evaluation and free software for manipulating and creating XML.
xml.com
Large collection of XML-related articles and resources.
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