Hypertext for the 1970s

XLink promises a basic level of functionality, but more than HTML

Myth HTML's hypertext functionality provided developers with a magical new set of tools for weaving hypertext webs.
Reality HTML's hypertext tools are remarkably simple, even crude. As sites grow larger, link management becomes incredibly complicated.
Promise XLink will provide a next generation of linking tools for XML that are more sophisticated than HTML but still simple enough for people and programs to manage.