Over on DevArticles this morning, there's a new piece for those out there that may have wondered where XML really sprouted from and how it can be used today.

XML: An Introduction starts with a simple introduction to markup languages, a brief history of the XML data structure, and when and how XML was created (1996 seems so long ago...). They get into a brief "usage" section, but it's devoid of any examples of what XML looks like, or even anything more than just a text description. They do talk about some of the cooler uses of XML, such as things like XML-RPC (talking between machines via XML) and the development of WAP applications.

Today XML is a young child developing various aspects of its personality; which of these would be the dominating trait to give it its final adult character could be anybody's guess.