ABSTRACT
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and similar metadata languages have given us levels of interoperability that were not dreamed of a decade ago. As the number of interoperable systems on the Internet has risen linearly, the value to the users has risen exponentially. EXtensible Markup Language (XML) promises us another order-of-magnitude increase in that interoperability. Not only will it help create interoperability between clients and servers on the Internet, but it will also improve interoperability among arbitrary objects and processes wherever located. By conserving and communicating the meaning and intent of data, it will increase its utility and value. Not since the advent of Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) has there been a tool with such promise; this promise is far more likely to be realized and may be realized on a grand scale.
