Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) is a widely used, internationally recognized, and standardized markup language. Developed in the 1960s, it serves as a foundation for defining specific markup languages, such as HTML and XML. SGML provides a set of rules for organizing and formatting documents in a way that facilitates their interpretation and processing by both humans and machines.
At its core, SGML is designed to separate the content of a document from its presentation, making it highly versatile and adaptable across various platforms and technologies. It achieves this by utilizing tags to mark up different elements within a document, defining their structure and meaning. SGML allows users to create their own markup languages and document types, tailoring them to specific needs and requirements.
One of the key features of SGML is its inherent flexibility. It enables information interchange between different systems and platforms, enhancing interoperability and facilitating the exchange and sharing of data. SGML-based documents can be easily edited, searched, and transformed, making it an efficient solution for large-scale documentation projects.
Despite being a powerful and widely adopted standard, SGML has seen a decline in usage with the rise of its derivative languages, such as HTML and XML. However, it continues to be valuable in various industries, such as aerospace, defense, publishing, and information management, where long-term preservation of documents and complex documentation structures are essential.
