Did this page loaded slow? The page itself is plain html and contains gif picture showing above right now (size 25 k).
Now click the link to xml page containing exactly the same content above but gif format replaced by xml (size 9 k).
There are two possibilities here:

• If your browser supports XML (for example, MS IE5), then the page reloaded much faster because its contents are coded mostly as the text and vector graphics. No attempt to load gif picture from the file, smart XML capable browser just not interested. Well, at least with a modem connection the difference should be noticed.

• If your browser doesn't support XML, the external link to gif formatted picture file will be still used to ensure compatibility with old HTML standard; xml page will be reloaded almost as slow as the page you are reading now.

Best of all, the contents of xml file can be easily edited (in this case in MS Office2000 Word, because the document was created there (the entire editable document in MS Word doc format is the single file only 19 k in size).

Take a look at the picture (while reloading too!) on this page again and just realize the triangle meaning.