Q: How relevant is Xml technology for WikiObjects?

This discussion started on WikiInfoInXml.

WikiObjects will benefit from a list of Wikis and information about them, but is it worth putting energy into supporting an Xml version of such a list?

It looks as if the page WikiWikiObject will itself provide the equivalent of an Xml DTD for WikiInfoInXml, which is cool. This means we might not want to or need to go down the Xml route at all====

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==Against supporting Xml: ==

There is no need to. WikiObjects can be made general enough.
We don't want to be 'tied' to a particular technology.
Xml is rather verbose.
Someone has to understand Xml and write those perl scripts to re-present WikiObject definitions as DTDs and Wiki Object Instances in Xml format.

==For supporting Xml: ==

Xml support is built in to people's browsers, so we leverage existing technology rather than re-invent it.
Xml could give object users a mini-database facility from within their browsers without downloading any code. (e.g. sorting, searching filtering and formatting lists).
We don't need all of the Xml technology to get something useful. For example we can provide data in xml format almost as easily as already provided in html format - if we don't bother with making the DTD's work right to start out with.
Xml is becoming an established technology. Features it already has may point us towards things we need to think about for WikiObjects. (for example 'do we need a standard for distinguishing instances of wiki class objects from the class definitions?'. 'What structural information is needed in a wiki object class definition?')
'We could provide it as an option without being 'tied' to it e.g. WikiWikiObject.asXML could express a WikiWikiObject as XML'