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Why Do We Need a Universal Data Format? Why Can’t We Just Make Our OwnBog'liq Ceponkus, Hoodbhoy - Applied XML - Toolkit for ProgrammersWhy Do We Need a Universal Data Format? Why Can’t We Just Make Our Own
Formats for Individual Projects?
You could make your own formats for individual projects. In fact, in some cases where
secrecy is very important and you don’t want to share information outside your
organization under any circumstances, you may well want to create your own proprietary
formats. In that case, XML may not be what you need. However, you should be aware
that it is possible to encrypt your XML stream, thus preserving security and giving you
flexibility in programming.
A basic philosophy needs to be accepted before you embark on using XML: We live in a
world where communication is the key to success. The better the communication
infrastructure your company deploys internally (that is, between employees) and
externally (that is, with customers and suppliers), the better its prospects for success.
Once you accept this belief, you quickly realize that at present, there is no way to
engender communication with everyone. Fluency in English and German won’t help you
a lick if you’re in France trying to do business. In the computer world, HTML has been
remarkably successful for creating a way for us to display information for one another to
see. Though seeing may be believing, it is a form of one-way communication. For
communication to be truly successful, it must be at least bilateral and preferably
multilateral.
Although many languages purport to be cross platform in nature, they only handle the
computer aspect of control and communication. What about the human form? Where
does that go? What about the information that we want and need? XML is the missing
link that completes the promise of languages like Java and Perl.
How Does XML Affect the Nature of Businesses Today? Are Browsers Going to
Disappear? Are Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) Packages
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