Why doesn't Perl need XML?

Easy to read and write simpler formats.
Data::Dumper et al. optimize data for reading and writing, not for interchange.
Multiple language systems seem rare.
Even multiple applications in a system is rarer than single-node systems..
Yes, yes, you never know when your system will become bigger.
Future-proof my ass. Extreme Programming counsels against designing for the future, and it's a good point.

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YAPC 2000: Why Perl is Special - 6