It's because so many people would see examples of complex _XML-based formats (WSDL, SOAP, etc.)_ and infer that _XML itself_ is complicated. XML is really not that difficult to understand, and I find it quite amusing that the same people who don't bat an eye at writing HTML complain about how baffling XML is.
Is writing an XML parser difficult? Yes, very much so. But again, that doesn't make XML itself complicated. And before anyone tries to call out this particular comment, keep in mind that writing a fast, correct, and safe JSON parser is no walk in the park either.
Are there many examples of complicated XML-based formats? Yes, but that's just a reflection of the complexity of some particular configuration model, not XML itself.
It's because so many people would see examples of complex _XML-based formats (WSDL, SOAP, etc.)_ and infer that _XML itself_ is complicated. XML is really not that difficult to understand, and I find it quite amusing that the same people who don't bat an eye at writing HTML complain about how baffling XML is.
Is writing an XML parser difficult? Yes, very much so. But again, that doesn't make XML itself complicated. And before anyone tries to call out this particular comment, keep in mind that writing a fast, correct, and safe JSON parser is no walk in the park either.
Are there many examples of complicated XML-based formats? Yes, but that's just a reflection of the complexity of some particular configuration model, not XML itself.