Description:
Sean McGrath makes understanding XML simple by gently easing his readers into the topic. His overview discusses what XML is and how it differs philosophically from HTML without competing with it. This introduction shows why XML is generating such excitement and how it will be of great importance to electronic commerce. Next, McGrath demonstrates XML in action in an electronic-commerce environment. His conversational style leads the reader through what could be very dry topics, such as publishing databases with XML or using Channel Definition Format (CDF) to create a push-publishing channel. His friendly tone is all the handier in the section that examines XML and related standards. The final section looks at three e-commerce initiatives based on XML--Open Financial Exchange, Electronic Data Exchange, and Open Trading Protocol. An enclosed CD-ROM contains an excellent collection of XML e-commerce development tools and useful reference material. The book's editor, Charles Goldfarb, is the developer of SGML, the parent mark-up language upon which XML is based. --Elizabeth Lewis
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