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XML End Tags Are Stupid...

August 5, 2008 - 11:27am — bex

Building on my observation that DNS is Backwards, I've decided that XML end-tags are stupid. For example, why do I have to write XML like this:

<head><title>foo</title></head>

Instead of just like this:

<head><title>foo</></>

Or even this:

<head><title>foo<//>

Huh? Crazy, I say... crazy! Coders have been dealing with generic end parenthesis, and generic end braces for decades... why complicate matters in XML? As Alec always says:

Your data format ain't better just because it has angle brackets in it...

Seriously, what semantic advantage is there? If you are creating XML of only minor complexity, its just a bunch of extra typing that don't add any value... if you are using complex XML then I might see the advantage... but in those cases you would probably use an XML editor which does all kinds of fancy code highlighting to make sure you can see everything... and the words in the end tag are superfluous anyway.

Besides... XML end tags are especially useless for HTML. Seriously... everything is DIV tags anyway. If your HTML is invalid, it usually doesn't help to know that you need to end an open DIV tag... the question is which one? Your only hope is an advanced editor, or decent HTML comment blocks.

Having the name of the tag in the end tag just makes the data format more bloated, and no more useful. I prefer JSON anyway:

{ "head": { "title": "foo" } }

Heaven...

Comments

August 5, 2008 - 12:34pm — Luke Francl (not verified)

Sexp

Next thing you know you'll be promoting S-Expressions, you crazy lisper!

(title 'foo)

Brings me back.

August 5, 2008 - 1:03pm — Jason Stortz (not verified)

Agreed

I could not agree more. I think it is a conspiracy by Big-Oil...erm, I mean Big-Bandwidth. I blame this on AT&T. They want to make sure we have to use and pay for maximum bandwidth.

August 5, 2008 - 1:41pm — John Sim (not verified)

I agree..

XML is stupid, its far too bloated. Stick with JSON all the way!

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