Re: Editor that is easy to use, generates XML under the hood, and supports tables?

On 5/27/2023 4:36 PM, Peter Flynn wrote:
>> (3) the generated XML is easy to understand. 
>
> This decision is not the sponsor's to take, especially if they are not 
> familiar with XML. The generated (I prefer the word "captured") XML 
> must be easy to PROCESS; its comprehensibility by unaided and inexpert 
> humans is of secondary importance. It is often hard to convince 
> funding agents of this. 

I have to disagree. Some of the worst and most ubiquitous XML formats 
out there - pretty much anything Apple's done and the generally hideous 
OfficeXML - focused on processing, fitting with programmer expectations, 
and working with existing obscure object model foundations.  Hiding them 
behind tools has only made this worse.

Processing is important, yes, but we absolutely need to value human 
comprehensibility to stay out of various flaming dungheaps. (The same 
issues apply to URIs and a wide variety of other things that computers 
use and humans regularly encounter.)

Thanks,
Simon St.Laurent