XML

• Extensible Markup Language
  
  
• A skeleton format for data markup, intended to become universal.
  
  
• Essentially a text file with an imposed structure.
  
  
• Based on SGML (document markup standard); simplified.
  
  
• The basics of XML are simple, but the sophisticated parts quickly become very tricky.
  
  
• Extensible: Define a XML-based format specific to a particular data domain.
  • MathML: mathematics
  • CML:Chemical Markup Language
  • XML for MIAME: Microarray data (EBI)
  • Many more; make your own...
  
  
  
• Software tools and standards
  • SAX (Simple API for XML)
  • DOM (Document Object Model)
  • SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
  • and more...
  
  
  
• A bandwagon is rolling: Microsoft, Oracle, IBM are (will be) using XML for many things.