XML by Example

Figure 1.5: The new style in a browser

eXtensible Markup Language

This conflicting evolution of HTML, partly toward procedural markup and

partly toward generic coding, is illustrative of the forces at play behind

HTML.

On one hand, the Web has evolved into a media in its own right, similar to

printed magazines and television. Therefore, people need lots of control

over the formatting so they can produce visually appealing Web sites.

Yet Web sites also have grown in size and it is increasingly difficult to

maintain them. For most organizations, building a Web site follows these

steps:

• The first 20 pages are produced with enthusiasm.

• Somebody (usually ...