[gurps] Building a VehicleML

[Zan Lynx]

XML looks like HTML, and there is even a version of HTML called XHTML. 
Both HTML and XML are derived from SGML, an earlier and more complicated 
tag language.

XML is much, much stricter than HTML and should really only be written 
by computer programs.  That is also a strength: it is much easier for a 
computer to read it because it does not need to guess what the author 
meant by a particular tag combination.

XML is used to define tree-style data formats.  Almost all data can be 
described in this way (although not always efficiently).  Many things 
such as RSS, RDP, SOAP, REST, Microsoft's newest Office formats (the "x" 
in .docx is for XML) use XML.

The meaning of tags is up to whoever is writing the XML.  XML does not 
magically make the data understandable.  I could write <library><book 
id="123"/></library> but if no one else knows what my tags mean, I may 
as well have encrypted the data.

XML is useful because there is a lot of software that can read it and 
convert it into different formats.  It can convert into data structures 
inside a program, it can convert into XHTML and display in a browser, it 
is even possible to build Excel 2007 data files (.xslx I think).

The VehicleML proposal sounds like a plan to create a set of XML tags 
and give them meaning so that vehicles can be shared between software 
programs and easily converted from VehicleML into XHTML and other formats.

Hal wrote:
> For what it is worth Onno, I see no real reason for you to feel you need to
> keep your discussion "private" with Tom.  I suspect that part of the reason
> you're not getting much in the way of feedback on the topic isn't because
> there is necessarily a lack of interest per se, but that there is a lack of
> general knowledge in the topic itself.  For example - I've not the foggiest
> clue on how to deal with XML.  It looks interesting of sorts, but I don't
> know what it does, how it does it, and what its original purpose was.  I get
> the sneaking feeling that it is a sort of database type set up, a sort of
> formatting set up langage - but I don't know for certain.  Rather than
> clutter up the list with my inexpert thougts, I figured I'd best be on the
> quiet side ;)
> 
> That having been said, if you were to embark upon teaching a little about
> what is involved with XML, what it can do, and how it might be generally
> helpful not only to someone such as yourself or Tom, but to someone like
> myself - you might generate enough interest for me to start looking into
> what is involved and trying to deal with it myself ;) 


-- 
Zan Lynx
zlynx at acm.org

"Knowledge is Power.  Power Corrupts.  Study Hard.  Be Evil."