I've witnessed this first hand at place I've worked! When all you know is Java, somehow an XML-based solution starts to look really appealing. I wouldn't know. It's been such a long time since all I knew was Java. But apparently, when you want a a more flexible language but don't want to spend the effort actually learning one, coding up a brand new DSL with XML syntax seems like a great idea! Hopefully the proliferation of better languages on the JVM will end this practice gradually, but in the end it will depend on a new generation of programmers being more educated on basic principles in computer science.