Conclusion

We have begun to develop socket programming skills. We have created a simple set of HTTP functions to allow us to build an XML proxy server. With this proxy service, we can jump over the fences Macromedia has put around the Flash player.

Once we had the proxy service, we were free to explore the rapidly growing worlds of XML content sharing. We examined one of them, the world built around the RSS standard.

Using XML as a technique for communicating between tiers of your own application is exciting, but it is merely scratching the surface. The power of the format becomes really exciting when you participate in a worldwide web of creativity and content.