any good book for XML?

any excellent book that covers xpath, sax, dom or any other use technologies?

Thanks in advance/

SGML: The Billion Dollar Secret

http://www.amazon.com/SGML-Billion-Dollar-Chet-Ensign/dp/0132267055

A little bit dated, but still covers all of the basics: http://www.cafeconleche.org/books/xmljava/

The book cited by Frank was published in 1997 and is about SGML, a generally outdated technology having zero to do with modern XML use.

helpful--

Much better the free online edition cited by Paul.

Bill

The eXtensible Markup Language IS SGML. It is simply a simplified version of it. Learning about the roots of any technology is always helpful for learning, in my opinion.

What a load of bull. SGML was found to be grossly over complicated see for example this History of XML summary.

Which contains the telling statistic:

The World Wide Web Consortium also contributes to the creation and development of the standard for XML. The specifications for XML were laid down in just 26 pages, compared to the 500+ page specification that define SGML.

Learning the complicated little used language SGML is NOT the path to practical use of XML.

Bill

As mentioned, XML is a very simplified version of SGML - ISO 8879. There are many advanced features in SGML that were pulled out to ease the development of XML compliant web browsers.

That said, SGML is still widely used in publishing industries, automotive industries, and military systems.

Aside, did you count the number of silly emoticons on the web page you are citing as a "source"?

William Brogden wrote:

>Learning the complicated little used language SGML is NOT the path to practical use of XML.

Bill, it's like using a shovel or a rake in your garden. They both have similar handles and a metal part at the end. Each of them could be used for the same reason but they have unique purposes.

Those who are trained in creating websites with JAVA and similar tools think that SGML is a poor choice, which it is for that. But those who produce technical manuals for state and federal government agencies, military organizations, and the entire aerospace industry know well that SGML is the ONLY tool to use. XML can do some of it but it's a poor choice. ;8>)

My two books on XML are: (1) XML - A PRIMER, 3rd edition, M&T books; and (2) XML for Dummies - 4th edition by Lucinda Dykes and Ed Tittel, Wiley Publishing.

Frank

True that certain industries love SGML to handle massive documentation problems. If that is the business you want to deal with, by all means start with SGML.

For the applications typical Java programmers need to know about, a book on SGML is not an entry point.

Hey, I have that XML for Dummies book around here too in an earlier edition, but for a Java programmer I still recommend the Harold book because of the extensive Java examples and complete coverage.

Bill