The lost art of XML — mmagueta (marcosmagueta.com)

submitted 3 days ago by Kissaki@programming.dev to c/programming@programming.dev

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There exists a peculiar amnesia in software engineering regarding XML. Mention it in most circles and you will receive knowing smiles, dismissive waves, the sort of patronizing acknowledgment reserved for technologies deemed passé. "Oh, XML," they say, as if the very syllables carry the weight of obsolescence. "We use JSON now. Much cleaner."

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[-] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

If both sides have a shared data model

If the sides don't have a common understanding of the data structure, no format under the sun will help.

[-] Kissaki@programming.dev 1 points 2 days ago

The point is that there are degrees to readability, specificity, and obviousness, even without a common understanding. Self-describing data, much like self-describing code, is different from a dense serialization without much support in that regard.

this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2026

66 points (93.4% liked)

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