Binary XML
http://news.com.com/Faster+XML+ahead/2100-1007_3-5630957.html?tag=nefd.lede
The Net's top standards body is getting closer to speeding up XML-based software, a move that could benefit everyone from cell phone carriers to television broadcasters to the military.
But critics say the group's favored 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 cell phones--representing data using XML is simply too bulky, say proponents for more efficient XML.