MSXML 4.0 to be kill bit-ed
While on the subject of XML. I noticed an announcement on the Microsoft XML Team blog that MSXML4 is going to disappear within the next 12 months. It will mean that applications will no longer be able to create MSXML4 documents in the Internet Explorer browser. The team urges everyone to switch to MSXML6 as soon as possible.
The differences between MSXML4 and MSXML6, as well as migration issues, can be viewed here. A summary of the supported versions:
- MSXML6 – Should be your first choice. This is the MSXML version that will be carried forward. MSXML6 is shipped with Vista and Microsoft is working on getting this in downlevel OS Service Packs.
- MSXML3 – This has the advantage of having shipped with every supported OS. Microsoft is committed to keeping MSXML3 robust and stable but won’t be adding any functional improvements.
- MSXML4 – This is in maintenance mode with a very high bar for fixes approaching End of Life.
- MSXML5 – Exclusively meant for Office. Do not take any dependencies on it.
More information can be found in this post at the Microsoft XML team blog.