[XML-SIG] Confused and grasping

[Jeff Blaine]

About 8 months ago, I started reading up on XML.  I got to the point where
I felt comfortable with my knowledge of what it is, what it offers, etc.
I was excited.  Then I began to realize that functioning, documented,
and stabilized tools did not really exist for me to feel confident enough
to start on a first simply XML project (in Python or any other language
or binary release that I could find).  There seemed to be a handful of
people who lived and breathed XML, and these were the people who knew how
to actually get this sea of acronyms to work.

It was as if my Christmas presents were wrapped up and set out in the 
living room 11 months before Christmas.   :)

So I stepped back and waited.  I sure didn't understand enough to help 
the cause mature faster.

I still have this burning desire to do electronic text Right.  That's
the reason *I* want to use XML.  I want to be able to write a readable
semi-marked up README.txt conforming to some DTD and generate HTML,
Postscript, etc.  I want to redo my personal web pages with a common and
consistent look and feel.

Being a Python-head, I downloaded and poked at the XML-SIG's xml-0.5.1.tgz
today, and it all still seems like a programmer's toolkit.  Am I wrong?

I want to set my expections appropriately and redirect my efforts to
areas more suitable to what I am looking for.

It seems that xml-0.5.1.tgz is meant for XML gurus who want to develop
Python applications with XML functionality built in.

Is there anything available for a person with my goal(s)?  Should I
just continue writing straight HTML?

Could someone kick me in the right direction?