[ausbin]

This looks like a C# AST written in XML, am I wrong?

[SideburnsOfDoom]

You are right, and

> April 1, 2006

Back when jokes like that were cool.

[inglor]

You know, I suspect most people reading this weren't around for the "XML everything!" era and don't get the joke. They legitimately think it's a post about an experimental markup language.

[ausbin]

Exactly, I was 9 years old when the OP was published, so I couldn't tell if it was a joke or not, to be honest. Thanks to y'all for explaining

[DaiPlusPlus]

Not just XML, but I see this article as a direct jab at XAML specifically.

XAML, the famously verbose dialect of XML tied to .NET, which hasn't seen any changes made to the core language design despite its numerous ergonomic failures (e.g. the xmlns mess). I can't explain why no attempt has been made to make it more usable.

[inglor]

It's almost too good of a prediction since XAML is from 2008 and this article is from 2006 :)

(To be clear it means the article is likely _not_ from 2006 but from later like 2008-2010 since it mentions XAML)

[projektfu]

Xaml was around before that. Google "XAML Longhorn"

[Jtsummers]

> Basically, CSAML is an alternative syntax for C# based on XML and, more specifically, on XAML, the Extensible Application Markup Language that plays such an important role in the forthcoming WinFX and the Windows Presentation Foundation.

Almost as if someone on the inside at MS would have knowledge of what was in development and decided to poke fun at it. 2008 was when it was released, it was in development prior to that.

[Jtsummers]

It almost certainly was. He mentions XAML near the top.

[ygra]

You are not. Note the publishing date.