XBL

XBL (XML Binding Language) is an XML-based markup language used to declare the behavior and look of XUL-widgets and XML elements. Development of the XBL specification was abandoned by the W3C in 2012.

XBL was developed by the Mozilla project for use in the Mozilla Application Suite; the language is not currently described by any formal standard and is thus proprietary to Mozilla, with the only implementation being the Gecko layout engine. XBL 2.0 is the latest version of XBL.

XBL basics

In XUL one defines the user interface layout of an application, and then by applying "styles" one can customize the look of various elements. The drawback is that XUL provides no means to change an element's function. For example, one might want to change how the pieces of a scroll bar work. This is where XBL comes in.

An XBL file contains "bindings", each of which describes the behavior of a XUL-widget or XML element. For example, a binding might be attached to a scroll bar. The behavior describes the properties and methods of the scroll bar and also describes the XUL elements defining the scroll bar.

Xbox Live

Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft. It was first made available to the Xbox system in November 2002. An updated version of the service became available for the Xbox 360 console at the system's launch in November 2005, and a further enhanced version was released in 2013 with the Xbox One.

The service was extended in 2007 on the Windows platform, named Games for Windows – Live, which makes most aspects of the system available on Windows computers. Microsoft has announced plans to extend Live to other platforms such as handhelds and mobile phones as part of the Live Anywhere initiative. With Microsoft's mobile operating system, Windows Phone, full Xbox Live functionality is integrated into new Windows Phones that launched since late 2010. The service shut down for the original Xbox on April 15, 2010, and original Xbox Games are now only playable online through local area network (LAN) tunneling applications such as XLink Kai.