XML in Office 2003: Information Sharing with Desktop XML

Chapter 20. XML Jargon Demystifier™ Introductory Discussion

• Structured vs. unstructured

• Tag vs. element

• Document type, DTD, and markup declarations

• Schema and schema definitions

• Documents and data

	“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.”
	--Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass

One of the problems in learning a new technology like XML is getting used to the jargon. A good book will hold you by the hand, introduce terms gradually, and use them precisely and consistently.

Out in the real word, though, people use imprecise terminology that often makes it hard to understand things, let alone compare products. And, unlike authors,^[1] they sometimes just plain get ...