[Sussex] ongoing - XML Is Too Hard ???

[Steve Dobson]

Geoff

On 03 April 2003 at 11:53 Geoff Teale wrote:
<snip>
> That's all true, but the point is people are complaining that 
> development against XML is too complex and cannot deliver in
> the short term - if those are companies concerns the they
> should weigh up whether XML fits their requirements.  I do not
> to be convinced of XML's benefits, I am _very_ pro-
> standardisation, but in the world of business the long term
> good is often secondary to "Getting the job done".

100% agree.  Each case is different and must be judged
accordingly.
  
> I think I covered my feelings on this.  I would not disagree 
> with you to any degree, only that the people who are
> complaining are not doing so becuase they are interested in
> the greater good next year, but rather they are interested
> in their stock price, today.

I'm not sure I completely agree here but it's not worth the
argument to continue.
  
> > If only Microsoft's Office suite can't share data with the rest
> > of the data centre then a lot more pressure is placed on M$ to
> > conform.  I notices that M$ has not be slow in adding open 
> > standards to Word - broken although some of their implementations
> > have been.
> 
> Hmm.  Objectively, there are several Microsoft engineers 
> working on W3C commities at various levels.  They are all
> skifull engineers and genuinely nice chaps and they have
> bought a lot to the standards table since the late 1990's.

I have never though that the way a company operates should be
reflected on all (any?) of it's employees.  I can't count the
number of times I've implemented decisions that I haven't
completely agreed with - although I have seen there point of 
view in most cases.

> However, there are fewer than their used to be, and the W3C
> as a whole is not at all pleased with their parent company
> (though it recognises the need to work with Microsoft).

M$ is such a powerful player that it will always be courted.

> Why is this?  Well, Microsoft have produced a range of high
> quality XML tools over the years, but as a company Microsoft
> are very interested in XML when it benefits them.
<snip>

Most companies work this way.  But the larger a company becomes
the more it is (I think) to look at excluding other companies
than looking at it as a benefit for all.

Steve