Re: the uses of XML?

[thi <ttn@mingle.glug.org>]

Bruno Vernier writes:
 > On Thu, Dec 10, 1998 at 11:07:49PM -0800, Matt Wimer wrote:
 > 
 > > I am just wondering what the planned uses of
 > > XML are going to be?
 > > 
 > > Is is going to be used as a data exchange format?
 > > Or, is is being used as a data storage format?
 > 
 > you necessarily choose between:
 > 
 > 1. storing directly in EDUML  (in my opinion, the best choice if many of us
 >    do it, because that allows simultaneous access to each other's data from
 >    completely different EDUML compliant programs)
 > 
 > 2. store in some private format and feature import and export in EDUML 
 >    (advantage: freedom for programmer, possible gain in speed; 
 >    disadvantage: can't work simultaneously with other EDUML compliant
 >    programs due to delay before data is exported again)

perhaps this point can be addressed if EDUML specifies a simple IPC
protocol mappable to common mechanisms (shm, sockets, etc).  that way
EDUML-compliancy would imply formats for both data storage and exchange.

 > 3. store in some private format and have no provision for import/export in
 >    EDUML; (disadvantage: someone has to write a data converter or patch the
 >    program to import/export later on; advantage: no risk waiting around
 >    for EDUML or some other XML standard to emerge)

hopefully this category of application will be quickly converted to one
of the above two.

thi