The trouble with XML has never been XML itself.

It was also about how easy it was to generate great XML.

Because it is complicated and everyone doesn't really agree on how to properly representative an idea or concept, you have to deal with varying output between producers.

I personally love well formed XML, but the std dev is huge.

Things like JSON have a much more tighter std dev.

The best XML I've seen is generated by hashdeep/md5deep. That's how XML should be.

Financial institutions are basically run on XML, but we do a tonne of work with them and my god their "XML" makes you pray and weep for a swift end.