RE: Help: Reasons to use XML/XSL ?

>From Michael Kay
>XML was not designed to be used as a format for transient data that is
en route from the database to the browser. >People are using it for that
task, and once you're sold on XML you will probably want to use it for
that task, but >that's not the job it was designed for.


This one aspect has been something I've often pondered. It seems a
standard for a condensed scheme could be developed for transient "XML"
(although it wouldn't be XML anymore). Something so the heft of the XML
structure isn't repeated yet structure is maintained and data can get
compressed by different means if necessary. When ready the data could be
streamed. It seems this would greatly aid in moving large data across
networks where the size of heavy markup in XML makes the cost
prohibitive.

Some possibilities:

1. the document/stream could be "preparsed" for structure and the data
retrieved as it arrives (or is needed?) since it may still be in route
further down the stream.

2. optional supported compression utilities (since the recipient would
need to know how to uncompress).

3. optional limits on size of data to when compression is no longer
beneficial.


Quick example (not using attributes):

<document>
	<elemA>Some data</elemA>
	<elemB>Other data</elemB>
	<elemB>More data</elemB>
	<elemB><elemC>Weeeeeeee</elemC></elemB>
	<elemD>binaryblahblah</elemD>
</document>


[definition]
1=document
2=elemA
3=elemB
4=elemC
5=elemD
[structure]
1>2=A 3=B 3=C 3>4=D< 5=E<
[data]
A=Some data[eod]
B=Other data[eod]
C=More data[eod]
D=Weeeeeee[eod]
E=Binaryblahblah[eod]


After typing all this, I realize it may be off topic but, I am curious
about it.