DZR :: Make the Transition to XML

The separation of content from information about how it should be presented and processed is key to maximising your content's accessibility and redeployment. XML is the most important component in the move away from traditional Web authoring which obfuscates the distinction between structure and presentation. The wave of the future, it is set to revolutionise the web. Its benefits are manifold:

Interoperable

XML is structure preserving, thus exposing your data to presentation, manipulation and remote services in ways which are meaningful for that data.

Flexible

XML is transformable. XSLT allows for the transformation of your data into, for example,

XHTML for display in legacy web bowsers;
WML for display on wireless devices;
RSS for site syndication.

Ubiquitous

XML is now used for the file formats for many leading office and desktop applications, meaning that you can use the same format for data storage and data exchange and delivery.

Powerful

XML namespaces, XLinks and XPath allow for much more powerful linking and embedding than those provided by HTML.

For an in depth account of the full benefits of moving over to XML please see this longer article in four sections:

XML

XML Headlines