XML Documents

Communication requires that the two or more entities that wish to communicate share a single language. In this age of multiple systems and myriad programs, is it possible for companies to agree on a single computer language that will allow them all to speak to one another without any loss of information? More importantly, is there a way to allow different computers within a single network to communicate with one another efficiently?

The rise of Extended Markup Language (also known as XML) suggests that there is. XML is basically a set language or protocol, which multiple communities can all use to communicate with one another. In practical terms, it appears as a file format (.xml) that contains a set amount of data, the same way a traditional word processing or hypertext document might.

The qualitative difference here, however, is that an XML document also contains programmed within it the rules that are necessary for a new computer to interpret the data that it contains. This increases versatility quite a bit. In addition, the basic XML language can be used by programmers and companies as a sort of basic framework from which their individual XML language can be developed.

Thus, versatility becomes coupled with the potential for specialization–a great combination for many businesses. This is the main reason why XML documents have recently come into favor. Many different applications and companies can XML to safely, securely, and easily transmit their information from one place to another.

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