Far from taking ages to deliver, XML is already powering a huge number of information web sites behind the scenes.

If you want to make an informed decision try having a look at some of these for more information:-
http://www.xml.com/
http://xml.apache.org/
http://www.perl.com/reference/query.cgi?xml

If you want to learn more about parsing XML in Perl read this article from the sadly defunct Perlmonth.

Ugly