Mike Plusch

ConciseXML is a new syntax I co-developed with Christopher Fry that builds on the best features of XML and S-Expressions while eliminating their constraints. XML originated with the document-markup world of SGML and has become the leading syntax of the Internet. Its use has been for documents and data - not for programming logic. S-Expressions, or symbolic expressions, is the syntax behind Lisp-like languages, including Scheme. Basically, S-Expressions are nested lists of symbols. S-Expressions are used with languages that support the notion that code is data. The many discussion postings on the Web regarding these topics would indicate a disconnect between the S-Expression and XML camps. The purpose of this article is to bridge the two worlds and offer a solution that addresses everyone's needs. Syntax vs Language A syntax is structural only. It defines the const... (more)