Url: http://news.com.com/2009-1001-983871.html?tag=f…

Few five years olds have had as much impact as our little XML has these last few years. What started out as just structured storage as really changed into computer technology.

W3C has done a great job is helping get all those standards moving. Several years ago, I never thought that XSLT would ever become a standard. Add in the impending XQuery, XForms and their brethren, I think XML is headed in the right direction.

Five years ends up being a long long time in software development. Five years ago I was doing cutting edge MFC Active Document (OLE) programming for a pen-based computer. I’d have never thought I’d be through COM and ATL onto something new by now. I think its amazing that XML has really matured in this time. I recently pulled out my old XML books. While its always nice to be early to the party, many of these books are really out dated now. I love the old examples of how XSL used to be written.

Ok, no more waxing nostalgic. With today’s technology, I really like Microsoft’s strategy of using it everywhere.

• Though a little under-performing so far, the XML stack in .NET is quite
  capable.
• Moving from the registry to config files is really a boon to my
  productivity.
• Editing the MetaBase in IIS 6.0 is simply awesome!
• And Office 11’s new support for XML, both as file formats and as data is
  very exciting.
• And lest I forget Web Services…

That’s enough for me. All I have to say is that I am the converted. I used to think that XML was all hype…no hope. As long as you mentioned .com and XML in your prospectus, you could get venture funding (ok, that part is true, but those days are long gone.)