2.4 The Benefits of XML

There is a well-known joke that XML is superior because the angle brackets (< and >) help streamline the data as it passes through the wire. In reality there is no inherent advantage in the syntax of XML over similar markup formats. Its appeal lies in its universal use, and that tricky low-level technical problems, such as the use of different alphabets, have been solved. Due to XML being text based, an XML document is easy for humans to understand. An XML format is also easy to extend and integrate with other formats. Extensibility arises from the redundancy within text it is easy to create new element and attribute names that do not interfere with the existing name set.

The numerous tools for parsing and processing XML and the standard models for representing the parsed data mean that a programmer has a head start in using XML data over other text APIs. There is also a great advantage in having many different standards with a common format. Standards can build on or fit into previous XML standards. Because it was explicitly created for Internet use, it can use existing technologies such as HTTP (the World Wide Web protocol) and easily transform into HTML for display on current Web providers. Finally, as there is an easy upgrade path from HTML to XHTML and XML technologies, future Web applications are not reliant on a technology that may not succeed.

The advantage that XML brings to security...