New Features of System.Xml
The System.Xml namespace in the .NET Framework is a set of XML classes that allow you to build XML support into your applications. It consists of a number of essential classes that enable you to read, write, manipulate, and transform XML. After an introduction to the "why" of XML, this chapter provides a brief overview of the classes present in System.Xml 1.x (version 1.0 and version 1.1 of the .NET Framework) and the driving requirements for their development. It then discusses how the XML landscape is changing and how new requirements have driven the design of the classes in System.Xml version 2.0, including emerging standards and the need for a better XML data access model to access the vast array of disparate data sources.
So this chapter covers the following topics:
Why XML should be a part of your data access arsenal today What version 1.x of System.Xml was designed to achieve How the quest for universal data access is being addressed An overview of what's new in System.Xml version 2.0
However, we start with a question: "Why should I care about XML?"
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