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Re: advocating XML

• From: Rob Andrews <randrews@p...>
• To: "Simon St.Laurent" <simonstl@s...>, xml-dev@l...
• Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 16:43:49 -0600

Thanks (all) for several useful replies, which have helped us move toward a
more intelligent discussion here.

Rob Andrews

Useless Python Repository
http://www.lowerstandard.com/python/pythonsource.html


----- Original Message -----
From: "Simon St.Laurent" <simonstl@s...>
To: "Rob Andrews" <rob@j...>; <xml-dev@l...>
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2001 3:39 PM
Subject: Re: advocating XML


> At 02:40 PM 3/13/01 -0600, Rob Andrews wrote:
> >He feels that a comma-delimited file is better in every visible
> >way over XML for data storage, and is under the impression that XML has
no
> >value.
>
> If:
>
> 1) You only exchange 'flat' data - rows of information, basically
> and
> 2) You exchange only the exact same types of information all the time
> and
> 3) You don't ever need to send your information to new people who need
> labels on the content to figure it out
> and
> 4) You don't find any XML processing tools intriguing
> and
> 5) You don't ever plan to show those files directly on a user's screen
>
> Your manager might be right.
>
> If you need information stored in structures more complex than lists of
> lists, if you need to present that to people in a browser, if you need to
> exchange it with other users more easily, or XML processing tools look
like
> more powerful conveniences than the tools available for comma-delimited
> lists, your manager is most likely wrong.
>
>
> Simon St.Laurent - Associate Editor, O'Reilly and Associates
> XML Elements of Style / XML: A Primer, 2nd Ed.
> XHTML: Migrating Toward XML
> http://www.simonstl.com - XML essays and books
>
>
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