Electronic dissertations library

Electronic Dissertations Library

XML: the future of web markup?, by Elliot Pritchard

INTRODUCTION

The completed XML 1.0 specification was announced on 10th February 1998. Since then many articles have been written discussing its potential. However the number of resources available to help one learn XML is still few. If XML is to achieve widespread use then such resources are needed. The official specification, although short, does not make a good introduction to the subject. Its technical phraseology, although appropriate for a formal definition, is not geared towards a beginner. Flynn (6 October 1998) tells us that "in order to grok the fullness of the spec, you need foreknowledge of computer science and SGML." No wonder, then, that "most standards, even popular ones, never get read by most people" (Bray (September 1997)). If one wanted to learn HTML, for example, there are numerous on-line resources to help you do so. There are relatively few for XML. In the XML FAQ, Flynn (6 October 1998) says that "there is still a need for tutorials, simple tools, and more examples of XML documents." That comment still holds true today.

The aim of this dissertation is the construction of a web resource, including a tutorial, that will act as a clear introduction to an XML newcomer. It should introduce them not just to the technical aspects of what XML is, but to the debates that XML has caused, and to the future that XML may have. It should be noted, however, that XML is a fast-changing topic. Walsh (16 November 1998) suggests that "keeping up with the Extensible Markup Language (XML) is like baby-sitting a toddler; every time you turn your head, it has found its way into something else." All the material in this dissertation is accurate at 25th August 1999. Although it is designed for longevity, it is possible that as time goes on some of the comments will no longer hold true.

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