XML Promises and challenges

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XML BornXML (Extensible Markup Language) 1.0 standard was published February 10, 1998.
XML was born from the shortcomings of SGML [Structured Generalized Markup Language] whichwas hugely complex, mass... XML BornXML (Extensible Markup Language) 1.0 standard was published February 10, 1998.XML was born from the shortcomings of SGML [Structured Generalized Markup Language] whichwas 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 GoalXML took us beyond mere presentation of information and into the realm of representationof information.
This content is not just a mass of data to be rendered solely for viewingon a web browser. Now the content could be structured and the meaning attached to thisstructure 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 nottell 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 SuccessThe Java technology, enables browsers to function as generalized application platforms. Theresult is True platform independence.
XML provides information rich in metadata specifiedin a standard format, XML and Java technology make it possible for more of an application'swork to be processed at a client side. This contrasts with the tendency of HTML pages to relyon 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 challengesConverting 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 determination of information semantics onwhich 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 effortto 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 theycan 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.More XML Tools >>XML Free Tutorial:A lot of free tutorial can be found on , or to provide additional information about    elements.5-XML Validation   The difference between a Well Formed and a Valid XML document and how a DTD is used to define   the XML document.6-XML support in Netscape and Explorer   About the support for XML in the two most famous browsers.7-Viewing XML in Internet Explorer   How to use Internet Explorer to view an XML file.8-Displaying XML with CSS   How to use Internet Explorer and CSS to display an XML file.9-Displaying XML with XSL   How to use Internet Explorer and XSL to display an XML file.10-XML embedded in HTML   How to embed XML inside HTML documents.11-The Microsoft XML Parser   How to use the Microsoft XML parser to open and manipulate XML documents.12-XML in Real Life   This is where we take a look at some real life use of XML.13-XML Namespaces   How to avoid element name conflicts using XML namespaces.14-XML CDATA   How to tell an XML parser not to parse the text.15-XML Encoding   How to encode your XML documents.16-XML Server   How to generate XML on the server.17-XML Applications   How you can use IE to navigate an XML file and how to create a complete XML application.18-XML HTTP Requests   How to request XML from a server using HTTP.19-Behaviors for HTML and XML   How the new CSS behavior selector can be used to create dynamic content.20-XML Technologies   XML technologies that are important to the understanding and development of XML applications. Article Tags: Java Technology Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .