The World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C is adopting the Extensible Markup Language, or XML, as a standard. It’s available as a first draft specification. It says two of the main problems with HTML are that there are several different versions of HTML that are incompatible; and users are unable to extend HTML to add custom tags. It thinks XML will help solve version problems and also provides just enough capability to allow people to create their own extensions without wreaking havoc, which happens now [in HTML]. Microsoft Corp. and Netscape Communications Corp. both say they will support XML in their respective browsers. Netscape says support for XMLwill not be available in the upcoming Communicator browser suite, due out some time this summer. Microsoft is a bit more definite. The company says it will include an XML extension in its upcoming Internet Explorer 4.0, or IE 4.0, browser suite, due this summer with the beta available now. Another function of XML is that companies are able to create specific tags for, say, banks; banks’ addresses, phone numbers and a transaction. This will increase easability of online transactions which should help in establishing the web as a virtual market place.
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