• To: Bob DuCharme <bobdc@s...>
• Subject: Amplified Complexity (was Regarding Simon St. Laurent's Article on XLink)
• From: "m a r l o n . n e l s o n" <thesardonicwon@y...>
• Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2002 08:11:39 -0800 (PST)
• Cc: "\[xml-dev\]" <xml-dev@l...>
• In-reply-to: <5.2.0.9.0.20021209095847.0248fb90@m...>

Hey:

From a Web Develoment point of view.

Well, ain't that a blip!  Since 1999, it has been my deepest hope that XML would become this *wonder drug* for the Internet and Web Development.  Much to my chagrin, that has not been the case.  In fact, it seems that XML has become just another pain in the a** like a lot of the other primarily Web-based technologies out there, i.e. DHTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc.  Am i mistaking in believing that XML, was not to become a cure-all for the browser wars, but a more suitable mechanism to be employed in the development of portable, cross-browser pages, apps, etc.?

i read simon's article on development for multiple browsers (see http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2000/05/03/msie/index.html) as well as bob's article on XLink (see http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2002/03/13/xlink.html), but all in all, it seems that a lot of the XML technologies, such as XLINK, are not doing anything, or at least not what they set out to do.  Too, with XML's current state, there still remains the need to implement non-XML vocabularies just to get things to work -- properly.  CSS, CSS2, (CSS3), JavaScript, etc.  Methinks XML needs to go bacc to being a tool for data exchange and nothing else, not at least until standards improve (and not become overly complex and complicated).  Also, this amplified complexity seems to be mistaken for improved development when in reality, it is more of a hinderance than anything else.

Will some one please shed some light at the end of this very dark tunnel?  Finally, to paraphrase bob duCharme, to me "..the half-full glass is looking half-empty to me, and its contents seem to be evaporating."

One,

 Bob DuCharme <bobdc@s...> wrote:

At 12/5/02 10:51 AM, m a r l o n . n e l s o n wrote:

Well, alas, more questions about XLink.  i just read simon st. laurent's article (http://www.topxml.com/xml/articles/xlink/) on XLink at TopXML.  Question now is, what level of support is there, currently, for XLink, XPointer, etc., in terms of browsers etc.?  Does the listing (see attached) of support/non-support still stand?  ANy additional articles, listings, etc. will be appreciated.

I did a review of the state of XLink implementation last April at http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2002/03/13/xlink.html. The prognosis was not good.

Bob DuCharme          http://www.snee.com/bob           <bob@ 
snee.com>  "The elements be kind to thee, and make thy
spirits all of comfort!" Anthony and Cleopatra, III ii
(bobdc e-mail address used only for mailing lists)

-- m a r l o n . n e l s o n
-- W e b . D e v e l o p e r
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-- Our greatest enemy [threat], lies
-- hidden amongst those we trust most.

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    • From: Bob DuCharme <bobdc@s...>

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