The XML-specification alphabet soup

Volume 17, Number 1 • January 2000

The XML-specification alphabet soup — The new language introduces increasingly complex Web specifications
by Robin Peek

FOCUS ON PUBLISHING column discusses the complexity of XML and summarizes the status of the XML recommendations. Says that the complexity of XML is being driven by two factors: that it is extensible - and therefore extendable, and the morphing of television into the Web platform, demanding more elaborate design solutions. Explains that XML tags describe the function or meaning of items, as opposed to HTML tags which describe the appearance of each item. Reports the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has been busy releasing drafts and new specifications and as the level of technical specificity grows, so does the level of detail driving the creation of these specifications. Highlights the specifications that are gaining the most interest in the XML community, such as XSLT, XPath, and SMIL, and mentions the emergence of the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS).