LiveBlogging: XML 2006 Keynote

The keynote is packed to the gills — hotel staff were stuffing extra chairs into the back of the room at 8:58 a.m. After the usual administrativia, there was a brief interlude to look back at SGML 96, the conference at which XML was first introduced. At the time that XML was developed, it was quite radical, and nobody really knew what would happen with it. Today, of course, XML is a given.

Before discussing the keynote content, let me just give you some free presentation advice: Speak clearly and pay attention to your microphone.

The keynote presenter was Roger Bamford, Principal Architect, Oracle Server Technologies, speaking on the XML/XQuery Ecosystem.

He started with a review of the Olden Days — applications 30 years ago. Highlights:

• The interface was like chess: The user thinks, does something, and then waits for the server response.
• Complexity means that do-it-yourself is not an options. Changes to the system must go through the IT/development group and take months or years.

I suppose it’s not surprising that an Oracle guy is all about databases. It’s interesting because we do our work with minimal interaction with databases, so it’s definitely a new perspective. I am getting that “when you have a hammer, everything feels like a nail” feeling, though.