 the heterogeneity of both software and platforms rapidly
proliferate, it is clear that the suitability of 'classic' HTML
4.0 for use on these platforms is somewhat limited.</p>

<h2><a name="xml" id="xml">1.2 What is XML?</a></h2>

<p>XML<sup>&#8482;</sup> is the shorthand for Extensible Markup
Language, and is an acronym of Extensible Markup Language <a
href="#ref-xml">[XML]</a>.</p>

<p>XML was conceived as a means of regaining the power and
flexibility of SGML without most of its complexity. Although a
