It is funny that he says that the problem with XML is bad programmers because the first design goal of XML[1] was - "XML shall be straightforwardly usable over

It is funny that he says that the problem with XML is bad programmers because the first design goal of XML[1] was - "XML shall be straightforwardly usable over the Internet." The bewildering number of XML specifications to simply use an XML file makes it daunting for anyone to learn to use XML "properly". The XML standard today is hardly anything but "straightforward". Additionally, it is not a particularly efficient format for machines nor for humans to use. Saying that a good editor can solve everything is a very flippant way of addressing the common challenges with editing maze-like XML documents. Perhaps Linus didn't elaborate on the context of his criticism for the XML format, but it resonated with a lot of programmers not because of his popularity but they had faced similar painful situations before. [1]: http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml/ http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml/