[wtbob]

> XML is for encoding general data.

No, it's really not. XML is a markup language, not a data-encoding language. JSON, S-expressions, ASN.1 &c. are all data encodings; TeX, LaTeX, HTML and XML are markup languages.

> TeX is incredibly powerful, but it's also incredibly idiosyncratic.

Agreed.

> I also personally think Computer Modern is an ugly font.

Eh, it's not great on-screen, but it looks pretty good on paper. But TeX & LaTeX have supported multiple fonts since the beginning.