Assumptions This Book Makes

The skill level needed for the book varies. In general, the book gets harder as you go. For the web author, Chapter 1 through Chapter 4, covering the history and implications of the subject and the basic details of writing and using RSS feeds, might be as far as you need to go. These chapters assume familiarity with HTML and XML, although you will be reminded of important technical points. Don't worry if this seems daunting now: it's all very straightforward. (Appendix A provides a brief introduction to XML if you need one.)

Delve further, however, and you'll find that with a little confidence you can do all sorts of great things. Most developers will be unfazed by most of the book, although some of the XSLT and web services sections are quite new. Knowledge of Perl is useful but not required. The code should be commented sufficiently to make all things clear.