PKMS Tool Report
Joshua Bleier

I've decided to use XML to implement my Personal Knowledge Management System. My rationale for deciding on this tool includes:

• XML's flexibility, which will allow me to easily archive and access numerous types of information, and add new ones quickly and easily.
• XML's ubiquituos usage, which will allow me to apply the skills I develop in working with XML beyond the implementation of my PKMS.
• A wide variety of graphical XML tools, which will make the manipulation of XML and development of my PKMS quicker and more intuitive (Although I'll probably work with the actual XML code until I develop a reasonable understanding of it's syntax and usage).

In order to get enough of an understanding on XML and the process required for going from an XML document of my PKMS to a display of my PKMS in a browser, I envision developing a basic understanding of the following tasks:

• The syntax and reserved words and/or characters that make up XML.
• The relationship between my PKMS XML file and the DTD (or Document Type Definition) file, which (from what I understand) informs the XML on what types of information that can populate the XML file.
• The process of parsing the XML and DTD files and translating it into valid code that can be understood and displayed by a client-side browser (my colleague B.J. indicated that this is handled by Apache Server software, but I still have to confirm this, and understand fully how it performs this).

Last updated February 21st, 2006