Comparing XML Databases to Object Databases

[John Snelson]

I had a conversation the other day where XML databases were being 
compared to object databases. The person I was talking to suggested that 
it was inevitable that XML databases would get subsumed by the existing 
RDBMSs on the market, just like object databases had been.

I haven't had the benefit of experiencing the rise and fall of object 
databases, but I have some opinions as to why I think XML databases have 
a better chance than object databases ever had. What does everyone 
think? Are XML databases headed for obscurity, or is the time for them 
right and the comparison to object databases unfounded?

John

-- 
John Snelson, Oracle Corporation            http://snelson.org.uk/john
Berkeley DB XML:        http://www.oracle.com/database/berkeley-db/xml
XQilla:                                  http://xqilla.sourceforge.net