XML overuse? (was Re: Python to XML to Python conversion)

[Jeremy Bowers]

Peter Hansen wrote:

> It's obviously a religious issue, but I get the feeling that while
> some buy into the XML hype wholesale, and overuse it to their 
> detriment, others are now jumping on some anti-XML bandwagon 
> (possibly) without having really put it to the test.  

I'm not anti-XML.  But I will say XML is only appropriate in rather 
narrow circumstances as I outlined. As it so happens, these narrow 
circumstances are rather popular, so XML is frequently appropriate. But 
you should still use XML only when there are no better choices, 
*because* you need trasferability, extensibility, or human readibility, 
and nothing else really meets those needs, *not* because it's the first 
thing that leaps to mind. For instance, Pickle is quite challenging to 
match in XML, if you don't have the XML marshaler at hand, for a novice.

Please don't read anti-XML sentiments into my message. ;-) I said what I 
meant and I means what I say. It's not a sweeping condemnation, it's a 
rather limited observation.