XML as "passive data" (Re: [xml-dev] The Browser Wars are Dead! Long Live the Browser Wars!)

10/22/2002 12:00:27 PM, Paul Prescod <> wrote:

>
>
>Completely passive *is the whole point of XML*. XML is a _reaction 
>against_ active data. If you don't "get" why that's valuable then fine, 
>you don't get it. But it isn't like the inventors of XML had never heard 
>of objects. Many were object programmers.

I think that's an extremely important point that doesn't get much
emphasis.  There seems to be a presupposition that OO approaches to XML app
design are de rigeur .... but the whole point of XML is to break the
encapsulation of data!  Am I missing something here?

BTW, what about "active data" was it necessary for XML to react to?  
I think I get it, but can't articulate it :-)