In his O'Reilly weblog post yesterday, Simon St. Laurent gives his commentary on a warning by Ari Krupnikov about the "ever-growing complexity" of XML technologies. Its an interesting viewpoint to consider. I have similar worries that XML technologies are getting to complex, voluminous and downright heavy, but not to the extent or dismay that Simon expresses. This particular quote rang quite true:
Krupnikov suggests that this complexity isn't an accident. Although some find his suggestions "conspiratorial", it doesn't sound all that far from business as usual by large vendors forging ahead with business plans that they can, in the end, control.
This quote raises a very difficult issue that is not black or white, but very grey. Commercial interests and simple, open and ubiquitous technologies are at odds with each other in a continuous tug of war. These strange bedfellows are a necessary evil to maintain innovation and investment in the space. As technologist we need to be mindful of this and work to maintain a balance that everyone can benefit from.
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