Chapter One
What Is XML?
Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a buzzword you will see everywhere on the Internet, but it's
also a rapidly maturing technology with powerful real-world applications, particularly for the
management, display, and organization of data. Together with its many related technologies, which
are covered in later chapters, XML is an essential technology for anyone working with data,
whether on the web or internally. This chapter introduces you to some XML basics and begins to
show you why learning about it is so important.
We will cover the following:
The two major categories of computer file types-binary files and text files-and the
advantages and disadvantages of each
The history behind XML, including other markup languages such as SGML and
HTML
How XML documents are structured as hierarchies of information
A brief introduction to some of the other technologies surrounding XML, which
you will work with throughout the book
A quick look at some areas where XML is useful
While there ar ... read full excerpt from Beginning XML ebook
