[kortex]

This is a bit out of my wheelhouse, but this feels wrong, or at least naively capable. Like it feels like this sort of reasoning leads to the kind of bugs (depending on what you use the result of the rexex for) that allow for code injection, a la the Equifax hack.

Maybe another HN poster can back me up, or explain why in fact Zalgo is mistaken and CargoCode is correct.

Either way, this sort of complexity is one reason I avoid XML like the plague and keep HTML at arm's length.

[lonelappde]

CargoCode is correct. Zalgo simply misread the question because he was so sick of similar subtly different questions.

[unlinkr]

This is what I really hate about the Zalgo answer. It is instilling people some vague sense that regular expressions are somehow bad, wrong and dangerous. But without any real arguments or contexts which would allow you to evaluate if the feeling is justified.