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"I agree, XML is a moving target, as is HTML (now at, what, version 4 plus
all the browser differences)"
And there won't be a version 5 (it's called XHTML 1.0).
"Visual Basic, for example, are changing, maturing, and
adding features"
VB has become so easy, I taught it to my wife so she can create her own "fun"
programs. ;-)
And as for the "Do we really need to know XML?" question . . . I remember a
similar question about five years ago in our industry--"Do we really need to
know HTML?"
I recently read a job description that listed "At least knowing what XML is" as
a plus. Geez! Imagine how marketable one would be if they actually knew how to
*use* XML. I guess it's up to the individual. I personally like to learn
anything I can get my hands on. I know VB, Java, Perl, SQL, etc. However, I
hardly ever use any of these (except SQL for our tutorials), but I'm glad I
learned them.
Just my opinion.
-jp
p.s. I also agree with everyone about the XML Bible. I think it's the best. And
I'll here is one of my favorite XML sites:
