Re: Sequence <was> Access Languages ...

Sean Mc Grath (digitome@iol.ie)
Mon, 24 Nov 1997 19:32:54 +0000


Don't forget the DTD - the key difference between SGML/XML and other interchange
formats IMHO.

The DTD is at once rough sketch. formal blue-print, test-bed and QA check
for perhaps gigabytes of data.

>For data with a long expected
>life-time, XML may actually be a better choice than comma/tab delimited
>file _because_ it is so verbose. If the original architects choose tag
>names which are clear, then when someone approaches the data 10 years
>later, and the original authors are long gone, the chance of this new-comer
>understanding the data format increases significantly. This is what Steven
>Newcomb calls self-descriptive documents. (Steven/Peter, did I get that
>right?)
>

Sean Mc Grath

sean@digitome.com
Digitome Electronic Publishing
http://www.digitome.com