VOTable alternative?

[Alasdair Allan]

> > That isn't awkwardness, its cleverness.
> >
> > The file can be pointed to using a URI, the file could be located
> > anywhere. This means the only thing that has to be passed by
> > intermediate services is a small bundle of XML, which has all the
> > descriptive meta-data.
> 
> I guess that bit is clever, if it always works properly.  My feelings may
> be coloured by recalling IRAF some years ago.  One of its bulk data
> formats had data in one file, metadata in a separate file.  That gave
> endless trouble to users, who kept finding the two didn't always travel
> together...

Yes, but since the XML file has a URI to the data file, if you have the 
XML you can always find the data, and the XML is the thing you push down 
the wire.

Al.
-- 
Dr. A. Allan, School of Physics, University of Exeter