Could people please stop using XML for every single software problem they have? PLEASE? Between the latest ideas of binary xml, extensible programming languages and C-omega one of Microsoft’s latest research projects involving the integration of XML and the object model, I’ve had enough of people ramming XML down the throat of every problem they have. Perhaps the latter two examples above will work fine and be a good use for XML, but they are just the latest in a long line of solutions that use XML for apparently no other reason than it is the latest and greatest thing out there and has been hyped beyond belief. The binary xml thing is just a symptom of people using XML for the wrong things, but I’ll leave that issue for another time. My problem is that XML is just a data format. That is it. It is a standard plain text way to represent data. Nothing more. It is definately not a silver bullet. There are definately things that XML is good for, but there are others that XML is definately not good for. XML will not solve all your problems. In many cases it just creates a big mess.
All I’m asking is that you please, please choose the best tool for each problem you have to solve and don’t rely on hype to choose your tools. When was the last time you tried to hammer in a screw? Or worse, screw in a nail?