6. Conclusion

XML is the new basis for digital documents, thanks to its many advantages. It standardizes the exchange of documents, thanks to semantic markup that is independent of platforms and programming languages. Many companies are currently developing and using XML applications in a wide variety of fields, from chemistry to mathematics (MathML, SVG, SMIL, CML, etc.).

As a universal exchange format, XML is also an economical and reliable alternative to medium-sized relational databases. Query languages (e.g. XQuery) are available to access the components of XML documents in the same way as in a database.

Finally, the XML language, with its RDF and OWL extensions, is playing an active role in the development of the Semantic Web. At present, almost all Web content is intended to be read, but is not designed to be manipulated intelligently by computer...