xmlhack: Evans moves against angle brackets in MinML

Clark Evans announced Yet Another Markup Language (YAML) to sml-dev, creating a markup language that has broken free of compatibility with XML syntax.

Acknowledging the paradox mentioned by Philip Nye:

The current Minimal XML spec is a subset of XML but is not compatible with many XML tools and extensions.

Evans has proposed to throw away the XML syntax:

Then let's break free. In our next "pass" let us _completely_ break from XML syntax. I'm serious here. I'm sick of tags and their connotations anyway!

After some more email exchanges, Evans created YAML, a curious mix of ideas borrowed from XML, but also from the syntax, variable types and declarations found in C, HTML, Perl, and Python and six fundamental requirements:

YAML texts are brief and readable.
YAML is very expressive and extensible.
YAML has a simple stream based interface.
YAML uses data structures native to your programming language.
YAML is easy to implement, perhaps too easy.
YAML has a solid information model, no exceptions no mess.

Evans believes YAML has enough qualities to have real potential and requests comments on the sml-dev mailing list:

If you haven't noticed... I'm pretty serious about YAML. I think it is a winner... it has a simple information model and a great syntax. I'm going to drive this forward, and I'd like your thoughts... what are your requirements? Thus far YAML is a information serialization mechanism.