[jimfuller]

the lack of being able to extend or define my own tags and attributes feels like a reduction in freedom to me ... but I guess it depends on your perspective. If you feel comfortable with browser companies and a small handful of ppl defining a rigid vocabulary for the world to use, that is your option; me ... I don't feel comfortable with that situation.

XML schemas are hard ... the xml suite of technologies certainly did not get it right the first time around, but slowly those 'hard' technoloiges get eaiser to use (either because of tooling or in XML Schema case we now have v1.1 with things like assertions that make validation a lot more useful and easier). In the meantime, I am certain that we will see every XML technology eventually will get regenerated and replicated within the JSON stack of tech.

Lastly, I agree that having a sanctioned vocabulary called HTML5 is a 'good thing' ... however saying that the world only needs one markup format is plainly incorrect, its akin to saying we only need a single spoken language; sure a lingua franca would make life (and processes) a magnitude simpler but hoping for this situation to actually occur is a real 'pipe' dream.

IMO, if a 'fallacies of data' type edict was to be handed down, then 'planning for homogeneity (lingu franca)' would be in the top 7.