[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message]

Re: What does it mean to say that XML was over-engineered?

• From: Michael Kay <mike@saxonica.com>
• To: Roger L Costello <costello@mitre.org>
• Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2021 00:10:43 +0100

By over-engineered I mean that it has more functionality than most applications require.

Things like DTDs, namespaces, processing instructions, which add substantial complexity to applications and APIs whether you use them or not.

Mirriam-Webster definition: 

overengineer: to engineer (something, such as a product) to have more functions, capabilities, etc. than are necessary or desirable

Michael Kay
Saxonica

> On 14 Sep 2021, at 23:49, Roger L Costello <costello@mitre.org> wrote:
> 
> Michael Kay wrote:
> 
>> Given that XML is over-engineered for many of the tasks
>> that people were using it for, other standards better suited
>> to a subset of those tasks were always going to emerge.
> 
> What does that mean, "over-engineered"? Does it mean, "too restrictive"? For example, XML does not allow two attributes with the same name to occur on an element. XML requires every start tag to have a matching end tag. Those are kind of restrictive. Is that what you mean by over-engineered? Or do you mean something else?
> 
> /Roger
> 
> _______________________________________________________________________
> 
> XML-DEV is a publicly archived, unmoderated list hosted by OASIS
> to support XML implementation and development. To minimize
> spam in the archives, you must subscribe before posting.
> 
> [Un]Subscribe/change address: http://www.oasis-open.org/mlmanage/
> Or unsubscribe: xml-dev-unsubscribe@lists.xml.org
> subscribe: xml-dev-subscribe@lists.xml.org
> List archive: http://lists.xml.org/archives/xml-dev/
> List Guidelines: http://www.oasis-open.org/maillists/guidelines.php
> 

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: What does it mean to say that XML was over-engineered?
    • From: Elliotte Rusty Harold <elharo@ibiblio.org>
  • Re: What does it mean to say that XML was over-engineered?
    • From: Tim Bray <tbray@textuality.com>

• References:
  • What does it mean to say that XML was over-engineered?
    • From: Roger L Costello <costello@mitre.org>