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The example in the patent looks like the same early-XML format used by Ventura, a desktop publishing program released in 1986 by Xerox

And, Charles Goldfarb says he invented SGML in '74, which means the amount of prior art to something like XML is huge. The whole point was to separate content from layout, as well as (theoretically) allowing more automation on documents.

I utterly fail to see how this can possibly be something which can be patented by someone who filed an application in '94.

This sounds awfully fishy to me.

Cheers

How about structurally-tagged content dating back as far as the late 1960s?

A Brief History of the Development of SGML

For that matter, XML is just a specific, more restrictive dialect of SGML. The SGML draft standard was first published in 1985, twelve years prior to this patent. Since XML is a proper subset of prior art that existed prior to the filing of this patent, XML in effect existed prior to the filing of this patent.

If this ever goes to court, the company should expect their lawyers to be prosecuted for barratry.

...is the day when ISO 8879 can be downloaded for free. Granted, OpenSP kicks ass at much of it, but I'd still like to read the standard without paying ~$224, and if Goldfarb is the one in the way of that, he's gonna get smacked soon.

(Or did I miss a PDF somewhere this side of eMule? I've seen none there of 8879 yet...)

GML was invented in IBM in 1969. Here is a history.

It begat SGML in the 80s, which begat XML in the late '90s. When people discuss who invented XML, I roll my eyes, because XML and SGML are standardisations by comittees - the invention occured with GML.

Standardised versions of HTML were SGML applications and now HTML is an XML application (XHTML), so the significance of GML is probably as great as any of the inventions listed.

BTW, Mr. Goldfarb is the 'G' in 'GML'*, as described in this fascinating read on the origins of GML.

* before you reply saying GML stands for 'General Markup Language', RTFA! (Yeah, I know, I must be new here.) OK, here it is for you: "Later in 1969, together with Ed Mosher and Ray Lorie, I invented Generalized Markup Language (GML) to solve the data representation problem... in 1971, when product development was imminent, I gave GML its present name so that our initials would always prove where it had originated."

I have read several posts attributing HTML as an invention of TBL.
This in my opinion is incorrect, the WWW dates back to 1980.
HTML is a derivative of SGML which dates back to 1960's and is
a descendant of IBM's GML.
Check this for some more history.
--
Han Tacoma