[LINK] XML is evil

[David Lochrin]

This thread finished about a week ago, but may I still observe that XML is not intended to be used for presentation directly to an end-user.  While there are a number of XML editors around which make it easier to interpret & manipulate raw XML, it should be regarded primarily as a transfer syntax for interpretation & presentation by an appropriate application.

It's possible to read raw ASN.1 encoded data too, but only when absolutely necessary for low-level debugging.

The same goes for CSV.  While it might be easier to read a simple CSV file directly compared with XML or ASN.1, I'll bet Richard, Rachel, and Rick all used an application such as OO or MS WORD (:-)!


On Friday 07 November 2008 20:50, Richard Chirgwin wrote:
> I've tried to see things in the light of standardisation, extensibility
> and power, and I can't. XML is evil.
> [...]
> As boring-old-CSV, data is accessible and portable. XML is not. 
> How did it get this way?

On Friday 07 November 2008 21:07, grove at zeta.org.au wrote:
> Hooooray!   Finally I am not alone.    It is almost heresy 
> to make such statements and I have felt very isolated as a result.
> 
> Every new application or tool seems to evolve to having some sort 
> of XML component, for no particular reason I can give.   And you are 
> correct.  It obfuscates needlessly with hierarchical guff where all 
> you really need are name:value pairs and maybe even a [section] header.

On Friday 07 November 2008 21:20, Rick Welykochy wrote:
> It is truly awful. I eschew its use whenever possible.
> OTOH, CSV has saved my neck many many many times.
> A very useful tool that is always there by my side.

David