In 2008, XML turns 10 years old. Today, an XML-based publishing environment is state of the art, but what will it be like tomorrow? Will we see the rise of better XML authoring tools? Will XML become as ubiquitous as HTML?

DITA is a free, pre-made XML document structure. That statement can lead to a few erroneous assumptions: if it's free, then it will cut down on costs, and if it's pre- made, it will cut down on labor. There are several things to consider when choosing a DITA solution. Does your staff have the skills to author in a DITA environment? Will additional training be required? Does DITA even match your content model, and if it doesn't, is it worth the effort to change?

Sarah's conclusion? "DITA may be free, but it's not cheap."

Getting your content into XML might be difficult enough, but once it's there, how do you turn it into something you can deliver? The Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) is a free and effective tool that can transform your XML content into HTML.

XML can benefit a publishing workflow in many ways: improving content reuse, consistency, and potentially automating much of the process. That all sounds wonderful, but XML is not the logical answer for everyone.

Implementing a structured authoring solution requires a significant change from the familiar desktop publishing routine to new tools, technologies, and processes. Switching to XML is going to cost time and money. Depending on your needs, it may not be the most efficient solution.