XML doubts

[Bruno Vernier <vernier@vc.bc.ca>]

On Mon, Jan 04, 1999 at 08:59:27AM -0800, someone wrote:

> I still don't "get it" yet.  I am a software engineer (and teach a
> programming course), but I don't understand what good XML is.  It may be
> that I need to see the application first.  My other concern is that a
> generalized definition almost never works.  It either does not cover all
> the cases, or it is so complex that no one wants to use it.

> There was mail about gradebooks.  Is this definition something that
> could be used to define their database?  Have you asked whether it is
> sufficient?  Is it too complex to be used by them?

> I hate to sound negative, but I want to know if XML is just hype or
> what.  The fact that HTML has been so successful is a good sign.


1. Both general XML apps and specific EDUML apps will work with EDUML "data"
   All the big players are writing XML apps; microsoft, mozilla, IBM, etc...
   There are new free XML tools appearing each week.  This makes it possible
   to use EDUML data right now for things like extracting relevant info,
   tree-editing, and displaying on a browser for example.
   
   No-one yet has announced EDUML specific apps possibly because the
   vocabulary has been somewhat volatile and perhaps some quietly harbour
   similar doubts about XML in education.  XML is only a year old after all.
   I have dedicated this year to "XML in education" in my workplaces (see 
   http://cran.seul.edu/~vernier/worshop for my roadmap)

2. This is my effort at making my life as a teacher/network supersivor a
   whole lot easier and more efficient <emph> in the long run </emph>. I am
   not interested in yet more applications with private data schemes at this
   point - I simply have no time and mental space left for that. I (and
   I am sure others too) live in a catch-22 whereby the more successful the
   network, the more software gets installed (Linux or Novell or anything)
   and the more confusion and work gets created for me as students and
   teachers, counselors and administrators naively and reasonably demand
   to "see the big picture" on the progress of individual students

   I'd rather take the time to define the future now before implementing it.
   
Bruno