The W3C is getting closer to speeding up XML-based software, a move that could benefit everyone from mobile phone carriers to television broadcasters to the military.
But critics say the group's favoured approach could cause major compatibility problems, among other things.
XML is fast becoming a widely used way of formatting and saving business documents such as purchase orders. But for certain applications — sending data to set-top boxes, for instance, and offering interactive programs on mobile phones — representing data using XML is simply too bulky, say proponents for more efficient XML.
