The Future of XML
The future of XML is still unclear because of conflicting views of XML users. Some say
that the future is bright and holds promise. While others say that it is time to take a
break from the continuous increase in the volume of specifications.
In the past five years, there have been substantial accomplishments in XML. XML has
made it possible to manage large quantities of information which don't fit in relational
database tables, and to share labeled structured information without sharing a common
Application Program Interface (API). XML has also simplified information exchange
across language barriers.
But as a result of these accomplishments, XML is no longer simple. It now consists of a
growing collection of complex connected and disconnected specifications. As a result ,
usability has suffered. This is because it takes longer to develop XML tools. These
users are now rooting for something simpler. They argue that even though
specifications have increased, there is no clear improvement in quality. They think in
might be better to let things be, or even to look for alternate approaches beyond XML.
This will make XML easier to use in the future. Otherwise it will cause instability with
further increase in specifications.
The other side paints a completely different picture. They are ready for further progress
in XML. There have been discussions for a new version, XML 2.0. This version has
been proposed to contain the following characteristics:

§ Elimination of DTDS

§ Integration of namespace

§ XML Base and XML Information Set into the base standard
Research is also being carried out into the properties and use cases for binary encoding
of the XML information set.
Future of XML Applications
The future of XML application lies with the Web and Web Publishing. Web applications
are no longer traditional. Browsers are now integrating games, word processors and
more. XML is based in Web Publishing, so the future of XML is seen to grow as well.