[Kal:]
No
one has yet said that the documentation would be XML ! But even so which is more
human
readable:
<record>
<isbn>123456-09-23</isbn>
<auth-code>AHM1298</auth-code>
<pubdate>20011110</pubdate>
<stock-code>98993939385402</stock-code>
</record>
<book>
<book-title>XML
Meta Data</book-title>
<authors>
<author>Kal
Ahmed</author>
<author>Danny
Ayers</author>
...
</authors>
<published>2001-11-10</published>
<description>
-- blurb about the book goes here </description>
</book>
I
would suggest that XML of the first form is "machine-readable" and XML of the
second form is "human-readable". But depending upon the system(s) involved, the
first form might be the only form that can be automatically generated for the
subject indicator.
[Thomas:]
We have been talking about XTM, RDF, XHTML, customized
XML so far - all this is XML. But you may be right - needs not to be XML. But I
think it should not be binary encoded.
Readability only depends on the specific intelligence
implemented in the machine/human.
If I (human, hopefully) understand the encoding of
<auth-code> etc., I can read it.
If a machine doesn't, it cannot read it
neither.
Cheers
Thomas Bandholtz
XML Network
Competence Center Content
Management
SchlumbergerSema
Sema GmbH
Kaltenbornweg 3
D50679
K闤n/Cologne
+49 (0)221 8299 264