This page is an archive, possibly an out-of-date one. You’ll find newer weblog postings at So… and more about norm on his homepage.

Mark Logic

Volume 11, Issue 40; 28 Apr 2008; last modified 08 Oct 2010

Makers of an exceptional XQuery engine and XML content platform. And my new employers.

Whenever one door closes, another opens.

Starting in May, I'll be working for Mark Logic as a "Principal Technologist" in their publishing group. Mark Logic is doing exactly what interests me: XML markup of mixed content. At the end of the day, I think that's where all the really interesting data is to be found: I'm a document guy. Typed object graphs and relational tables are a fine way to store data, but data doesn't have any meaning until it's put into context, and we put information into context by documenting it: by writing mixed content and surrounding it with markup.

My day job will consist of some mixture of web standards, product development, evangelism, customer engagements, consulting, and probably other stuff too. Ask me again in a few months.

So far, everyone I've met at Mark Logic has been great and the more I dig into the server product, the more impressed I become. I think this is going to be a lot of fun!

Comments

Make that: "Make damned sure no door closes until another door is ajar"!

—Posted by John Cowan on 28 Apr 2008 @ 02:56 UTC #

Cool--I can't think of a better place to apply the full power of Norm.

Cheers,

Eliot

—Posted by Eliot Kimber on 28 Apr 2008 @ 03:16 UTC #

Wow! Congratulations on the move.

Speaking from experience, there is something very refreshing about coming back to something you know really well after being gone for a time.

I hope you have as much fun as I'm having!

-Jean

—Posted by Jean K on 28 Apr 2008 @ 03:28 UTC #

Oh excellent. I trust that there's a good chance of seeing either XSLT support from MarkLogic or an XQuery form of the docbook stylesheets "soon."

—Posted by Gavin on 28 Apr 2008 @ 04:20 UTC #

Wow, congrats. I guess the MarkLogic people listened when various folks (myself included) said things like "or you could just hire Norm."

—Posted by Keith Fahlgren on 28 Apr 2008 @ 05:21 UTC #

Congratulations, Norm! Mark Logic has a very cool product, and I can only imagine how much more cool functionality will be added once you start working with it!

Leaving Sun was tough, and folks will be missed. That said, it was the best move I ever made. It's interesting to see problems from a different perspective. Sometimes you can get too comfortable, too.

—Posted by Scott Hudson on 28 Apr 2008 @ 06:25 UTC #

I'll second Gavin's comment. We love your stylesheets... we love Mark Logic... bring them together please.

—Posted by Charles on 28 Apr 2008 @ 06:28 UTC #

Sounds like a great move! Congratulations :)

Some day, data and documents will live in peace together...

—Posted by Dan brickley on 28 Apr 2008 @ 08:16 UTC #

Congrats, Norm! Following your heart is never a mistake.

—Posted by Steve Muench on 28 Apr 2008 @ 09:19 UTC #

nice move for you! you might want to change your disclaimer as you are no longer with sun ;-)

—Posted by Philip Fitzsimons on 28 Apr 2008 @ 09:50 UTC #

It's still April, Philip. The disclaimer will change on Monday when my employer does. :-)

—Posted by Norman Walsh on 28 Apr 2008 @ 11:06 UTC #

Mark Logic is lucky to have you, Norm. Congrats and have fun with the new gig.

Oh, and that standards thing? Take no prisoners. Standards, rule.

—Posted by Shelley on 29 Apr 2008 @ 03:56 UTC #

Best wishes in your new adventure. Sounds like it will be great fun.

—Posted by Dick Hamilton on 29 Apr 2008 @ 07:19 UTC #

In the beginning was the document and the document was ...

I tend to agree!

—Posted by Forget It on 29 Apr 2008 @ 09:22 UTC #

Congratulations, Norm! I hope you enjoy your new environment.

—Posted by Clay Helberg on 29 Apr 2008 @ 12:21 UTC #

Documents Rule! Someone (you) remembered that XML was all about freeing all the information hidden in documents! Good luck.

—Posted by Mark on 29 Apr 2008 @ 02:40 UTC #

Congratulations on the move to MarkLogic. My experiences with them have been uniformly enjoyable, engaging, and insightful, and I expect them to be going places. With you on board, that expectation is only confirmed.

—Posted by Kurt Cagle on 29 Apr 2008 @ 04:03 UTC #

Norm, Congrats! Best of luck with it. Sean

—Posted by Sean McGrath on 30 Apr 2008 @ 04:22 UTC #

Congratulations and best of luck, Norm. Perhaps the phrase is "As the Sun sets today, a new dawn awaits you tomorrow."

—Posted by Ken Sall on 30 Apr 2008 @ 09:17 UTC #

So does this mean Mark Logic now has a higher per capita percentage of O'Reilly authors than anyone but O'Reilly? :-)

—Posted by Elliotte Rusty Harold on 30 Apr 2008 @ 10:26 UTC #

I just recently got a pointer to http://markmail.org/ via an email list I read and thought that was pretty cool. (http://nanog.markmail.org/ was the specific site).

—Posted by paul killey on 02 May 2008 @ 06:36 UTC #

Well done Norm. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Sounds like you've found a place where you can make even more of your many talents. Cheers, Tony.

—Posted by Anthony B. Coates on 02 May 2008 @ 07:44 UTC #

Good for you Norm. Best wishes in your new role!

—Posted by John Kemp on 12 May 2008 @ 06:29 UTC #