XML or XHTML ?

I had posted this message to the XML-DEV list, apologies if you get this
twice.

The new MS Media Player 7 uses XML for skins.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/imedia/windowsmedia/wmpskins.asp

Sample Theme file
<THEME>
   <VIEW
      clippingColor = "#CCCC00"
      backgroundImage = "background.bmp"
      titleBar = "false">

      <BUTTONGROUP
         mappingImage = "map.bmp"
         hoverImage = "hover.bmp">

      <PLAYELEMENT
         mappingColor = "#00FF00" />

      <STOPELEMENT
         mappingColor = "#FF0000" />

      </BUTTONGROUP>

   </VIEW>
</THEME>

There are two ways of looking at this
1. This is Bad and will encourage every one to come up with their own flavor
of XML applications. XHTML should have been used to describe Skins and any
other UI standards.
If Skins require more than what XHTML currently provides, then that
functionality needs to be added as an XHTML module. etc...

2. This is good. It allows developers to focus on the task of creating the
Theme using simple tags (and not having to learn XHTML). XSLT could then be
used to convert this into XHTML. etc...

Counter point to 2.
If the focus is to hide the developers from XHTML, then a visual XHTML tool
could be used to generate XHTML directly. etc...

....

What do other list members think of everyone generating their own XML file
format to represent common data, in this case the data is visual data. Or is
this a small issue due to tools like XSLT ? Or should XHTML be used for all
visual data ?

Thx,
Ashvil

Received on Monday, 3 April 2000 01:09:35 UTC