Extensible Markup Language (xml)

1. What is XML?

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a way of structuring data on the Web. Using XML, you can create your own markup language. HTML concentrates on the presentation of data on the Web. For example, when you use the tag of HTML, the browser interprets it as a paragraph and displays the text within the tags accordingly. XML, on the other hand, does not have any predefined tags. XML concentrates on the content within the tags. For example, for representing customer information, you can create your own tag, . XML is a text-based format that lets developers describe, deliver, and exchange data between different applications. It is a database- and device-neutral format. It stores data in a structured text format, which can be easily used by any computerized system. XML supports UNICODE as well and hence will help internationalize the World Wide Web.

2. Who invented XML?

XML is designed by a working group of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which is an organization that aims at leading the WWW to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote the World Wide Web and ensure its interoperability. The XML development effort started in 1996 led by Jon Bosak of Sun Microsystems. Bosak organized a diverse group of markup language experts, from industry to academia, to develop a simplified version of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) for the Web. In February 1998, XML 1.0 specification became a recommendation by the W3C.

Today, the XML Working Group consists of 14 companies and organizations, including Adobe, ArborText, DataChannel, Fuji Xerox, Hewlett-Packard, Inso, Isogen, Microsoft, Netscape, SoftQuad, and Sun Microsystems.

3. Will XML replace HTML?

No. XML is not going to replace anything that you have learned. XML complements it. You can use XML to create your own tags and then use HTML tags to format the data in XML document. You can use Cascading Style Sheets to define the font colors and the position of text within the tags in an XML document.

4. What are the XML-related specifications?

XML is defined by the following specifications:

XML 1.0 defines the syntax of XML.

XML Pointer Language (XPointer) and XML Linking Language (XLink) define the standard way of representing links between various resources.

Extensible Style Sheet language (XSL) defines the style sheet language for XML.

The specifications for namespaces, XML Query Language, and XML Schema are being actively pursued.

5. What are the key benefits of XML?

XML simplifies data interchange. It also reduces the cost involved in interchanging data between different applications.