After exploring XML one gets the idea that this technology can become
something really important. It is globally important and it will have
a big impact on India. First, let's look at the technology and then the
implications.
As I see it the hype about XML is mostly as a result of the potential
use of XML with the web its ability to distribute information. Now what
two bigger topics can you pick, than the web and information? With XML,
data can be made more easily available to websites (there are plenty of
other uses for XML).
XML is a way of labeling or tagging information so that
it can be retrieved or inserted into a website. Suppose a Word document
is tagged so that the sender's name is given a tag as "sender."
This then makes this portion of the document more universally available
to be retrieved or placed on a website.
The information about the sender can be placed on any website and at
that time the format will convert to fit the website. In other words the
information (senders name) is place on the website and not the font size
or other formatting. The data is separate from the formatting.
This universal availability of data separated from the formatting is
what the hype is about. Data can freely flow independently. Isyndicate.com
is taking advantage of this. They are making their news articles available
in XML so that they can be placed on any website.
It seems the publishers are the first to realize the potential of XML.
Articles can be created and kept in one place and can be accessed by many
different sources. Who will be next? How far can XML go? Just pause to
think of the amount of information there is in almost every office in
America.
Take a law firm. Suppose they had their documents tagged in XML. They
could find and assemble information very quickly. They could do a Yahoo
type search and retrieve all the important paragraphs from their files
that might pertain to a case or contract.
But that is just a small example. Huge amounts of information will be
able to flow once the information is put it a format that will allow it
to flow. Now that is where the India connection comes in. Much of the
conversion to XML will not be done because it expensive to manually do
it in the USA or Europe. Even though it would save a company money and
help them be more efficient in the long run the short run expense may
prevent this. But we here in India are happy to do this work at a very
reasonable rate. Right now people are doing similar work and earning more
money than Attorneys.
Our labor rates make it feasible to do this type of data conversion.
This XML conversion will be a boom for India creating many jobs and opportunities.
Additionally the use of the technology within India will create another
boom.
With over one billion people there is a lot of paper that is being moved
unnecessarily. The information that passes across 10 desks to get to one
person will now be available across India via the web. We are really in
the information age. Any Indian is going to leapfrog into it and the benefits
will be much higher proportionally than in the West.
The Headlines of the July 31, 2000 issue of Newsweek reads " Armed
with High Hopes and Harvard MBAs the Country's Best and Brightest Head
Home. That's right the opportunities are better in China or India than
they are in American or Europe. XML in India is going to play its part
in transforming the lives of one billion people.
