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Y Z.
(X,Y,Z)
XML: (Extensible Markup Language) is a flexible
way to create common information formats and share both
the format and the data on the World Wide Web, intranets,
and elsewhere. For example, computer makers might agree
on a standard or common way to describe the information
about a computer product (processor speed, memory size,
and so forth) and then describe the product information
format with XML. Such a standard way of describing data
would enable a user to send an intelligent agent (a program)
to each computer maker's Web site, gather data, and then
make a valid comparison. XML can be used by any individual
or group of individuals or companies that wants to share
information in a consistent way.
Currently a formal recommendation from the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C). XML is similar to the language of today's
Web pages, HTML. Both XML and HTML contain markup symbols
to describe the contents of a page or file. HTML, however,
describes the content of a Web page (mainly text and graphic
images) only in terms of how it is to be displayed and interacted
with. For example, a
starts a new paragraph. XML describes the content in terms
of what data is being described. For example, a could indicate
that the data that followed it was a phone number. This
means that an XML file can be processed purely as data by
a program or it can be stored with similar data on another
computer or, like an HTML file, that it can be displayed.
For example, depending on how the application in the receiving
computer wanted to handle the phone number, it could be
stored, displayed, or dialed.
XML is "extensible" because, unlike HTML, the
markup symbols are unlimited and self-defining. XML is actually
a simpler and easier-to-use subset of the Standard Generalized
Markup Language (SGML), the standard for how to create a
document structure. It is expected that HTML and XML will
be used together in many Web applications.
Early applications of XML include Microsoft's Channel Definition
Format (CDF), which describes a channel, a portion of a
Web site that has been downloaded to your hard disk and
is then is updated periodically as information changes.
A specific CDF file contains data that specifies an initial
Web page and how frequently it is updated. Another early
application is ChartWare, which uses XML as a way to describe
medical charts so that they can be shared by doctors. Applications
related to banking, e-commerce ordering, personal preference
profiles, purchase orders, litigation documents, part lists,
and many others are anticipated.
XMODEM: Xmodem is an error-correcting protocol for
modems that was created in 1978 by Ward Christensen and
became a de facto standard. Modems that agree on using the
Xmodem protocol send data in 128-byte blocks. If a block
is received successfully, a positive (ACK) acknowledgement
is returned. If an error is detected, a negative (NAK) acknowledgement
is returned and the block is resent. Xmodem uses the checksum
method of error checking.
ZMODEM: Zmodem is an error-correcting protocol for
modems. Modems that agree on using the Zmodem protocol send
data in 512-byte blocks. If a block arrives and an error
is detected, a NAK (negative acknowledgement) is returned
and the block is resent.