A Final Note: XML Standards Adoption

A Final Note: XML Standards Adoption

Of course, with all these specifications, recommendations, standards, and initiatives being proposed, there is no guarantee that any of them—as well developed, well inten-\tioned, and well positioned as they may be—will be adopted. The primary challenge in XML is getting individuals and companies to actually use these formats. After all, these specifications are just text documents and XML files that represent a recommendation for the way things should be done in a particular industry or with a particular technology.

Many in various industries claim that these standards are repeating the errors of the past. In effect, the various groups are reengineering processes and vocabularies that were attempted with technologies and methodologies that had different or limited levels of success. Some say that members of the various working groups don’t have enough expe-rience to define the standards for their industries or the communities in general. However, there are others that say that standards and specifications have a life of their own—those that are worthwhile to adopt will be adopted, whereas others will simply fall by the wayside. The long-term adoption and success of these standards depends entirely on one thing: their usefulness.