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> > SGML was optimized for use by authors. XML was
> > optimized for ease of
> > parsing. XML is fine for transmission and exchange
> > or data (apart from its
> > high overhead, which is a genuine problem on busy
> > networks). SGML is
> > superior for authoring documents.
by saying:
> I disagree. ;) Adding solid, parsable structure to
> information allows you to set rigid usage rules, which
> allows for maximum reusability without having to
> resort to cleanup.
SGML structures are just a solid and just as parsable as XML structures. You
can set rules that are just as rigid and get just as much reusability
without any need to resort to cleanup. The difference is in the
sophistication of the markup, not in its meaning, structure, or strictness.
Don't confuse explicit with strict. SGML is harder to write a parser for,
but once a parser is written it is just as easy to parse individual
documents. The structures described by XML and SGML markup are the same.
SGML is a more sophisticated system, however, that provides for superior
markup definitions -- and therefore greater ease of use -- without any loss
of structure.
> > So... Don't buy a pig in a poke.
>
> I have no idea what that means but if I'm hungry I'm
> buying that pig!
You talked about letting the cat out of the bag. A poke is a bag. Medieval
scam artists would sell baby pigs in pokes. But when you got home you would
discover you had a cat in the bag instead of a pig. So, to avoid buying a
pig in a poke, you have to let the cat out of the bag.
XML is a pig in a poke, because it sells itself as superior to SGML when it
is, in fact, inferior, at least for document applications.
---
Mark Baker
Stilo Corporation
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Phone: 613-745-4242, Fax: 613-745-5560
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