A short list of XML’s features says it all:
• XML can store and organize just about any kind of information in a form that is tailored to your needs.
• As an open standard, XML is not tied to the fortunes of any single company, nor married to any particular software.
• With Unicode as its standard character set, XML supports a staggering number of writing systems (scripts) and symbols, from Scandinavian runic characters to Chinese Han ideographs.
• XML offers many ways to check the quality of a document, with rules for syntax, internal link checking, comparison to document models, and datatyping.
• With its clear, simple syntax and unambiguous structure, XML is easy to read and parse by humans and programs alike.
• XML is easily combined with stylesheets to create formatted documents in any style you want. The purity of the information structure does not get in the way of format conversions.

All of this comes at a time when the world is ready to move to a new level of connectedness. The volume of information within our reach is staggering, but the limitations of existing technology can make it difficult to access. Businesses are scrambling to make a presence on the Web and open the pipes of data exchange, but are hampered by incompatibilities with their legacy data systems. The open source movement has led to an explosion of software development, and a consistent communications interface has become a necessity. XML was designed
to handle all these things, and is destined to be the grease on the wheels of the information infrastructure.

This chapter provides a wide-angle view of the XML landscape. You’ll see how XML works and how all the pieces fit together, and this will serve as a basis for future chapters that go into more detail about the particulars of stylesheets, transformations, and document models. By the end of this book, you’ll have a good idea of how XML can help with your information management needs, and an inkling of where you’ll need to go next.

The Bug is a simple, differential-drive robot that was originally built to compete in a MINDSTORMS robot competition. The goal for the competition was to create a two-wheeled vehicle capable of navigating a figure-eight-shaped course. That original Bug was quite different from the one shown on the previous page. It didn’t have a bumper, and the light sensor was mounted on a spar that extended from the front of the robot. The sensor was used to track a wide black line that ran down the center of the path the robots were to follow. Unfortunately, the Bug was disqualified when the contest director decided to allow only robots with a “bicycle-style” wheel configuration to enter the competition. As is the fate of most LEGO robots, the Bug was disassembled, its pieces returned to the parts bin.

Asynchronous Network Learning (ANL), Web-based education (WBE), and eLearning are different names for education on the Web. WBE is becoming so popular that many for-profit colleges and universities are emerging, providing stiff competition to traditional universities. Public and private colleges and universities, from all over the world, are facing the many challenges and opportunities offered by this new technology-based concept.

WBE is diffusing across disciplines, curriculums, levels, and even national boundaries. WBE is not limited to the privileged few. Like any emerging technology, “ICT and Teaching Technologies” is not free from problems, controversies, and challenges. There are proponents and opponents of Web-based education, generating anxiety but also some interesting discussions. As many new universities are joining WBE, many old ones are failing. It is important for educators to be aware of the discussions and learn from the successes and failures of the early adopters. The first wave of WBE concentrated on the “what” of WBE, and the next generation is focusing on the “how.”