News For November, 2000

Bowstreet Interwoven Inc. announced a co-marketing, co-selling and product integration alliance. This alliance is designed to enable businesses to manage and deploy custom content across XML-based "business webs," including B2B marketplaces and portals. Interwoven TeamSite content management software allows both technical and non-technical contributors to develop and test web content prior to publishing, and to integrate and web-enable content from disparate sources including database data, word-processing documents and presentations. The Bowstreet Business Web Factory allows non-technical business people to use a graphical point-and-click interface to deploy TeamSite-managed content in customized combinations to an infinite number of customer, partner and supplier sites. This process automates the proliferation of content across business webs of interconnected companies, saving all parties the time and expense of hard-coding customization features into each partner web site. www.interwoven.com, www.bowstreet.com

VeriSign Introduces Suite of XML Specs
11/29/2000

VeriSign, Inc. announced a range of XML-based specifications and services designed to enable enterprise developers, B2B exchanges, independent software vendors (ISVs) and service providers to link their applications to Web identity, online authentication, authorization, digital signature, encryption and payment services. These specifications are being introduced in conjunction with today's release of the XML Key Management Specification (XKMS) by VeriSign, Microsoft and webMethods. Currently, developers choosing to enable applications to handle digital keys for authentication and digital signatures are often required to purchase and integrate specialized toolkits from a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) software vendor which only interoperate with that vendor's PKI offerings. With the new XKMS specification, those functions are no longer built into the application but instead reside in servers that can be accessed via easily programmed XML transactions. XKMS is also compatible with the emerging standards for Web Services Description Language (WSDL) and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP). More information on XKMS can be found at: www.verisign.com/developer/xml. The new XML specifications are designed to work with VeriSign's existing Web identity, authentication, payment and validation services and greatly simplify interoperability of e-commerce transactions. In addition to XKMS, VeriSign has developed a suite of XML specifications. Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) supports an XML-based management utility for vendors of online identity services. EPP will enable VeriSign's accredited registrar partners to sell domain names, telephone numbers and future identification assets through a new extensible protocol. VeriSign is working with multiple industry partners, including Netegrity, to develop S2ML, a common language for sharing authentication and authorization services through XML documents. VeriSign's XML Pay is an XML specification for payment requests and responses in a distributed, web-based payment transaction environment. The typical user of XML Pay is an Internet merchant or merchant aggregator who wants to dispatch consumer credit card, debit card, corporate purchase card, automated clearinghouse (ACH), or other payment requests to a financial processing network. www.verisign.com

Chuckwalla & Eprise Integrate Technologies
11/29/2000

Chuckwalla, Inc. and Eprise Corporation announced a partnership to provide customers with a complete solution for accelerated delivery of rich media to the Web via integration of Chuckwalla's rich media management products with Eprise Participant Server. The agreement includes cooperative marketing and promotion of the solution by the two companies. By integrating Chuckwalla technology, rich media can be delivered through the Web in one, streamlined process, providing customers an even more robust environment for improving Web site effectiveness to drive e-business success. www.eprise.com, www.chuckwalla.com

Kinecta Introduces Interact Version 3.2
11/28/2000

Kinecta Corporation announced Kinecta Interact v3.2 with enhanced features for increased stability and reliability. New features extend the functionality of the Kinecta Interact platform to allow for more flexibility in syndication environments. The Kinecta Interact content distribution infrastructure, based on the ICE (Information and Content Exchange) protocol, automates the distribution and management of information and content between networked partners and affiliates. Key new features include: FTP Content Source Monitor -- enables content providers and aggregators to access content directly from an FTP server; Internationalization -- supports double-byte and other non-Latin characters for entry and display. In addition, the Kinecta Interact AdaptiveContent transformation capabilities can now handle content encoded in the most popular single- and double-byte character encodings, including Unicode; and Extended database support -- Kinecta Interact now supports Sybase databases. www.kinecta.com

Arbortext Introduces Epic 4.1
11/28/2000

Arbortext, Inc. announced the launch of its most recent version of e-content software, Epic 4.1, which supports the conversion between Interleaf and Adobe FrameMaker files and XML. This latest release also enhances Epic's capability to convert between Microsoft Word files and XML. Epic 4.1 significantly expands the reach of authors who can leverage XML within an enterprise. Occasional authors who contribute content and are accustomed to a particular type of software can continue authoring in that environment while downstream processes can leverage that content for multiple purposes by converting it to XML. Epic 4.1 also maintains and further enhances features introduced in the previous Epic version such as rapid applications development, global support and adherence to W3C XML recommendations. Epic 4.1 will ship in December 2000. All Arbortext customers under maintenance are eligible to receive the Epic 4.1 upgrade at no charge and will automatically be shipped the upgrade. The XML conversion capabilities are available as Epic Interchange, an option to Arbortext's XML editors, Epic Editor and Epic Editor LE, and are included as a standard part of Arbortext's server, the Epic E-Content Engine (E3). www.arbortext.com

Infoteria & Quark Form Strategic Alliance
11/27/2000

Infoteria Corporation announced a strategic alliance with Quark Japan. Quark Japan is part of U.S.-based Quark Inc. Quark has committed to XML to support its strategy of web-based "media- independent publishing." New Quark offerings for web-based publishing include avenue.quark, which converts Quark XPress content to XML. Under its new alliance with Infoteria, Quark will provide advanced XML capabilities to users of Quark XPress, including schema design capabilities and the ability to convert to new schema languages, which will make it easier for Quark XPress content to be widely exchanged via local area networks, wide area networks, and the Internet. In addition to providing new capabilities to Quark XPress users immediately, the alliance between Quark and Infoteria will result in joint development and marketing of new web publishing solutions and XML training options. www.quark.co.jp, www.infoteria.com

Content Bridge Alliance Announces Technical Advisory Members
11/21/2000

Content Bridge announced the addition of new Technical Advisory Members that will participate in proposing standards to address Internet interoperability issues related to the distribution, delivery and management of content. They include Apogee Networks, Compaq Computer Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Company, Portal Software, Inc., StorageNetworks, Inc., and Vignette Corp. Technical Advisory Members of the Content Bridge alliance are working together to identify and propose technology standards to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) or other standards-setting bodies, enabling member networks that use different technologies to participate in the Content Bridge content peering model. Initial areas of focus for standards development include cross-network implementation of: Injection -- Establishes common methods for content providers to communicate content updates to member networks; Distribution -- Defines methods to pass content updates between peer networks; and Accounting -- Provides a common mechanism for collecting usage data and allocating revenue to member networks. On November 16, 2000, the Content Bridge alliance submitted an Internet Draft to the IETF. Titled "Implementation of Origin/Access Content Peering for HTTP," the draft describes the implementation of content peering currently enabled by Content Bridge, including injection, distribution, and accounting. The draft is expected to be a topic of discussion at the next meeting of the IETF, which will be in mid-December in San Diego. Formed in August 2000, Content Bridge is an alliance that includes technology and network service providers. Content Bridge alliance provides a platform for cross-network content distribution, streamlining the link between content providers and consumers. Current members include: Adero, Inc., Alteon WebSystems, Apogee Networks, Compaq Computer Corporation, Digital Island, Inc., Exodus Communications Inc., Genuity Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Inktomi Corp., Intel Corporation, Madge.web N.V., NetRail, Inc., Portal Software, Inc., StorageNetworks, Inc., Sun Microsystems and Vignette Corp. www.content-bridge.com

XSL Becomes a Candidate Recommendation
11/21/2000

The W3C announced the advancement of the Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) 1.0 to Candidate Recommendation. Designers use an XSL style sheet to express how source content should be styled, laid out, and paginated onto a presentation medium such as a browser window, a pamphlet or a book. Many people are accustomed to using style sheets in the context of word-processing. W3C's style sheets offer extensive stylistic control over the presentation of Web pages. The Consortium has developed the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) language, and this is now widely implemented on the popular browsers. CSS is playing an increasingly important role in styling many kinds of XML documents. The vision is that CSS3 - still in the making - will be used for styling XHTML, SVG vector graphics, XML, and SMIL multimedia presentations, to name a few. While CSS is used for styling in the traditional sense of the word, XSL is designed to actually transform XML data. XSL applies a "style sheet" to transform one document into another. A large number of XSL formatting objects have also been defined, potentially enabling complex publishing tasks. www.w3c.org

IntraNet Solutions Releases Outside In Server 3.0
11/21/2000

IntraNet Solutions, Inc. announced the release of Outside In Server 3.0, the latest version of its Web server plug-in that automatically makes over 200 different file types viewable in any Web browser. Outside In Server 3.0 enables users to convert business content to wireless mark-up language (WML) for viewing on any wireless application protocol (WAP)-compatible device, ranging from desktops to PDAs and cell phones. This new version of the Outside In Server technology eliminates the need for Webmasters to convert and manage different documents for each different device because Outside In detects the client's browser type and automatically delivers the content in the appropriate format for that browser. Enterprises are then provided with the flexibility to deliver information "on the fly" to desktops and wireless devices. The Outside In Server 3.0 technology will ship December 1, 2000 and is priced at $10,000 per server (USD). www.outsideinserver.com.

Percussion Announces Major Upgrade of XML Content Manager
11/20/2000

Percussion Software announced the availability of the version 3.0 upgrade of Rhythmyx Content Manager. This upgrade introduces a new dynamic workflow engine that allows changes to workflow states and transitions after deployment, enabling easier Web development. Rhythmyx 3.0 also features an enriched Rhythmyx Publisher, a loader module for uploading content from syndication services and file systems, enhanced templating capabilities, and an improved user interface for rich content authoring. The goal of Rhythmyx Content Manager v3.0 is to decrease time to deployment for businesses establishing and maintaining a presence on the Web. Rhythmyx Content Manager v3.0 offers the following new feature enhancements: Enhanced workflow for defining the key content management processes using states, transitions, and roles with no coding; Enhanced Rhythmyx Publisher, including site versioning, roll-backs and archiving; Open Java API to extend publishing activities including Web application server integration and custom extensions; Automatic uploading of syndicated content or existing document assets from any file system; An enhanced templating capability supporting reusable content components (such as navigation bars and banners) that separates the management of content and format for unlimited ways to aggregate content items into pages; Enhanced developer tool set for reducing development time; and Enhanced user interface for authoring rich content, including calendars and date selectors. Percussion Rhythmyx Version 3.0 is now generally available. The Rhythmyx Server supports Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 and Solaris 2.6, 7, and 8 on the SPARC platform. The Rhythmyx Workbench runs on Windows 95/98, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000. www.percussion.com

Interwoven & DataChannel to Couple Enterprise Portal & Content Management
11/16/2000

Interwoven and DataChannel announced an alliance to integrate DataChannel's Enterprise Information Portal Server, DataChannel Server (DCS) 4.1 with TeamSite 4.5, Interwoven's content management platform. The integration will bring together the critical functions of content management and content presentation and interaction. The companies have also agreed upon a jointly developed road map that tightly couples the unique functionality of their respective products. The combined offering will serve two classes of users, content contributors and the targeted users who access the final version of that content. First, TeamSite content authors and editors will now be able to access critical TeamSite software functionality, including TeamSite Templating and metadata tagging, through a consolidated and personalized application interface via DataChannel's Enterprise Information Portal. Participants in the content management process will also be able to see their workflow action items and timelines in their own personalized "queue." To enable this, all TeamSite users will be automatically logged-on to TeamSite through an intelligent DataChannel Xpertlinx when they authenticate through DCS. This single sign-on capability will provide direct authentication to personalized TeamSite workspaces. Secondly, the joint solution will impact the targeted users who access content in its final form. The DataChannel Enterprise Information Portal provides access to content that is targeted to specific user needs. It also optimizes a user's interface to the numerous sources of information found throughout the enterprise and across the Internet. DCS creates the taxonomy, or organized layout, for content that is then appropriately tagged and published directly from TeamSite into the DCS portal. www.datachannel.com, www.interwoven.com

Even more coupling of CM and corporate portals!

SoftQuad to Acquire ADEi
11/16/2000

SoftQuad Software, Ltd. announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Advanced Data Engineering, Inc. (ADEi) of Petaluma, California. ADEi is a provider of content transformation solutions that enable organizations to convert large volumes of existing data from multiple sources into XML. The ability to convert existing content directly into XML is a fundamental requirement for companies as they migrate their enterprise content infrastructures to XML. With the ability to transform large volumes of existing documents in formats such as Word, Quark, Pagemaker and PDF, ADEi's systems solve the content transformation challenges that many organizations face. Additionally, ADEi's XML-it Document Markup System, now part of the SoftQuad content services offering, provides an easy way to transition existing Word content into XML. This gives customers total control over their migration to an XML content infrastructure. ADEi's management team and engineering staff are all expected to join SoftQuad. SoftQuad plans to maintain ADEi's facilities in Petaluma as a strategic services, sales, and business development center in close proximity to Silicon Valley. Under the terms of the transaction, SoftQuad will acquire all of the outstanding shares of ADEi for approximately 750,000 shares in newly issued SoftQuad common stock, subject to minor post closing working capital adjustments. Further terms and conditions were not disclosed. The transaction, which is immediately accretive to SoftQuad earnings, has been approved by the Board of Directors of each company and is expected to close in November 2000. www.softquad.com, www.adei.com

Texterity Launches Automated PDF to XML Conversion Service
11/15/2000

Texterity, Inc. announced the release of TextCafe, an automated document conversion service that accepts PDF, Quark, and Word files and converts them to structured XML, HTML and Open eBook formats. TextCafe also supports automated creation of Microsoft Reader, Rocket eBook, and Adobe PDF formats. The service is initially targeted to publishers who have large amounts of trade books that need to be moved into structured XML format. The service is faster, less expensive, and more accurate than alternative solutions, which involve manual labor and proofing. TextCafe provides the following key features: detection of text blocks, including paragraphs, which can be reflowed automatically; dynamic creation of a Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) based on normalized styles used in the document; chapter and sub-chapter recognition and tagging based on document type; recognition and removal of running headers and footers in XML output; recombination of words broken between lines, columns, or pages based on language-specific dictionaries; extraction of embedded images with links created in XML output; and automated generation of XML, HTML, Open eBook (OeB), Microsoft Reader (.LIT), Rocket eBook (.RB), and reflowable PDF. TextCafe works by using artificial intelligence algorithms to deduce the hierarchical structure of documents. This is done based only on the visual cues available in the document and a knowledge of document type, such as novel, white paper, or manual. The result is richly-tagged, pure and valid XML that can be repurposed endlessly. TextCafe is available immediately. Pricing is based on document type and conversion volume. Quotes can be obtained by web-based submission at the Texterity web site www.texterity.com

Netegrity & Others to Define XML Standard for Secure E-Commerce
11/15/2000

Netegrity, Inc. announced that it is working with a group of companies to define a standard for enabling secure e-commerce transactions using XML called Security Services Markup Language (S2ML), that will create a common language for sharing security information about transactions and end users between companies engaged in online B2B and B2B2C transactions. Authors of the S2ML specification are Bowstreet, Commerce One, Jamcracker, Netegrity, Sun Microsystems, VeriSign, and webMethods. Reviewers of the specification include Art Technology Group, Oracle, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and TIBCO. Traditionally, security has been implemented within a single enterprise. However, companies are now conducting inter-company business using the Web, which has expanded the scope and range of their e-commerce transactions. For example, in the B2B industry companies now use a number of different e-marketplaces to purchase a broad range of supplies and products. Each of these marketplaces may have different proprietary authentication and authorization solutions, which makes interoperability across marketplaces difficult if not impossible. In B2B2C commerce, users often are involved in business transactions that span several different company Web sites that have joined forces to create an affiliate network of services. In this case, users are forced to log on multiple times and re-start their transactions. The business transactions in both of these markets must span multiple companies, multiple Web sites, and multiple marketplaces that have their own unique and heterogeneous set of platforms and e-commerce infrastructure components. S2ML is intended to solve these problems by helping to unify access control methods through an open, standards-based framework for the next generation of secure e-commerce transactions. The S2ML specification addresses three main areas of security services: authentication, authorization, and entitlement/privilege. S2ML defines standard XML schemas, as well as an XML request/response protocol, for describing authentication and authorization services through XML documents. S2ML also will provide specific bindings for various protocols such as HTTP and SOAP and B2B messaging frameworks such as ebXML. The S2ML effort is an open industry initiative in which any organization can participate and implement the specifications. The vendors behind the S2ML initiative plan to submit the S2ML 0.8 specification to the W3C and OASIS for consideration within the next 30 days. www.S2ML.org, www.netegrity.com

Mediasurface Updates E-Business Content Management Software & ATG Integration
11/14/2000

Mediasurface Limited announced Mediasurface 3.5, the next generation of its content management application software. The product includes new functionality to enable open integration of the Mediasurface content management platform into enterprise e-business architectures. Today, more organizations than ever before are basing their e-business offerings around an open application server platform. The challenge for these organizations is rapidly integrating best of breed e-business applications such as content management, personalization and e-commerce without complex, proprietary interfaces. New features in Mediasurface 3.5 directly address this issue. New functionality includes: Java API to enable seamless integration with application server providers such as ATG; Enterprise directory integration, allowing centralized management of users, groups and access rights; Support for Microsoft Windows NT Server and Hewlett Packard HP-UX operating systems; And support for Oracle 8i. Mediasurface 3.5 will be available to customers beginning in November 2000. www.mediasurface.com

Vignette Rolls Out eWireless Application
11/14/2000

Vignette Corp. announced Vignette eWireless, an e-business application that enables companies to conduct B2B transactions and exchange information with business applications using any wireless device, is available and shipping to customers. Based on open Internet standards, including XML and the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE), and featuring a powerful intuitive graphical user interface (GUI), Vignette eWireless enables a fully interactive Web experience on virtually any wireless device. The new product allows a company's employees, customers and trading partners to conduct transactions -- such as purchasing from product catalogs, approving requisitions or accessing back-end applications -- directly from their handheld wireless device. Devices supported include WAP-based phones, PDAs and pagers. For example, an industrial supplier using Vignette eWireless can provide its customers with a wireless device pre-loaded with a custom catalog of products they routinely purchase. When these customers are out in the field or at a job site, they will be able to use a wireless phone or PDA to order or reorder products, approve a price quote and purchase order, and arrange for delivery at a specified time -- without tracking down a telephone, fax machine or filling out paperwork. Unlike some wireless solutions, which consist of simple notification systems that do not facilitate B2B transactions or allow access to back office systems, Vignette eWireless allows companies to rapidly wireless-enable their existing applications, data and processes, as well as those of their trading partners. Vignette eWireless is currently available and shipping. www.vignette.com

Antarcti.ca Redefines Web Navigation & Productivity for Enterprise Networks
11/14/2000

Antarcti.ca Systems Inc. announced the launch of its public website, http://map.net, an integrated continent-sized map of the Internet. This site, a showcase for Antarcti.ca's Visual Net product, enables users to explore the Web in 2D and 3D, representing sites and subject categories visually. Led by XML co-inventor Tim Bray, Antarcti.ca sees Visual Net as the next step in the evolution of how people and companies access and share information on the Internet and their enterprise Intranets and Extranets. The Antarcti.ca showcase at http://map.net maps the category structure of the entire Web onto one screen. The basic data is sourced from Netscape/AOL's Open Directory Project (http://dmoz.org) and enhanced by Antarcti.ca's proprietary technology. At the heart of the technology is Antarcti.ca's Visual Net product, which plots and diagrams hundreds of thousands of subject categories and millions of Web sites on 2D and 3D maps that communicate not only the categories but also the sizes of the sites, their popularity and their quality of service. The 3D experience immerses users in a videogame-like environment, allowing them to 'walk around' the Web and look at sites in great detail without having to actually visit them, resulting in more efficient navigation. In addition, each of the 300,000 categories includes chat capability, enabling users to connect with dynamic communities of shared interests. Antarcti.ca is fully internationalized, containing thousands of categories and hundreds of thousands of sites in languages ranging from Afrikaans and Arabic to Thai and Ukrainian. Antarcti.ca's Visual Net is an ideal application for enterprise networks. Over the last 5 years, enterprises have made immense investments in leveraging their human capital by deploying Intranets and Extranets. Antarcti.ca helps complete this process by making network interaction more efficient and enjoyable and thus help realize the full return on these investments. The showcase Web site is free to the public and available immediately at http://map.net. Enterprise network mapping projects are delivered on an ASP basis and fees vary depending on the size and complexity of the data. The Antarcti.ca Visual Net product has an open API based on Web standards, chiefly HTTP and XML; the company invites technology partnerships with those who wish to build network-map-based applications. Antarcti.ca client software is Open Source, and the client-server protocol fully documented; anyone wishing to explore alternative visions of network maps will have the company's support. http://antarcti.ca

This is pretty cool and is worth checking out. In the interest of full disclosure, Tim Bray, distinguished past editor of the Gilbane Report, is behind this. The Gilbane Report has no involvement.

W3C Issues DOM Level 2 as a Recommendation
11/13/2000

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) released the Document Object Model Level 2 specification as a W3C Recommendation. The specification reflects cross-industry agreement on a standard API for manipulating documents and data through a programming language (such as Java or ECMAScript). Created and developed by the W3C Document Object Model (DOM) Working Group, this specification extends the platform- and language-neutral interface to access and update dynamically a document's content, structure, and style first described by the DOM Level 1 Recommendation. The DOM Level 2 provides a standard set of objects for representing XML documents and data, including namespace support, a style sheet platform which adds support for CSS 1 and 2, a standard model of how these objects may be combined, and a standard interface for accessing and manipulating them. DOM Level 1 was designed for HTML 4.0 and XML 1.0. With DOM Level 2, authors can take further advantage of the extensibility of XML. Simply put, anywhere you use XML you can now use the DOM to manipulate it. The standard DOM interface makes it possible to write software for processing customized tag-sets in a language- and platform-independent way. DOM Level 2 provides support for XML namespaces, extending and improving the XML platform. The DOM provides a uniform way to produce programs that work across a variety of different devices, so all may benefit from dynamically generated content. The DOM Level 2 Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) API makes it possible for a script author to access and manipulate style information associated with contents, while preserving accessibility. DOM Level 2 also includes an Events API to provide interactivity anywhere someone uses XML - in documents, in data, or in B2B applications. Other W3C Working Groups are currently at work in extending further the DOM Level 2 platform for Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) and Mathematical Markup Language (MathML). The DOM Working Group is currently at work developing DOM Level 3, the next layer of functionality for DOM. www.w3c.org

Reciprocal Announces Version 3.0 of Reciprocal Commerce Access Protocol
11/13/2000

Reciprocal Inc. unveiled Version 3.0 of Reciprocal Commerce Access Protocol. This enhanced XML-based communications technology enables the secure transfer of permit order information between Reciprocal and its customers. Reciprocal Commerce Access Protocol allows content companies, retailers or distributors to better control and manage digital content by communicating order information back to Reciprocal's clearinghouse. This communication allows clients to easily integrate their content business with Reciprocal's DRM services. Information and a series of instructions are communicated via the Reciprocal Commerce Access Protocol from a retail site to the Reciprocal Digital Clearing Service, which then fulfills the retailer's instructions and issues the permits that allow the end-user to have access to secure content files. Once packaged, the digital content can then be securely distributed with predefined business rules that consumers must satisfy before accessing the content. Business rules can range from payment, collection of consumer information, or other exchanges of value defined by the content owner. Retailers looking to take advantage of Reciprocal Commerce Access Protocol do not need to install any new hardware or software. Rather, they can simply send a secure XML message to integrate with Reciprocal's services. www.reciprocal.com

Arbortext Announces B2B Commerce Solution
11/13/2000

Arbortext, Inc. announced the availability of Epic Intermarket, a solution that enables suppliers and net marketplaces to deploy catalog applications that offer more extensive, more personalized and more usable content. Epic Intermarket is built upon Arbortext's Epic E-Content Engine (E3), a Web-based system for aggregating, storing, assembling and distributing enriched content. Epic Intermarket leverages the power of E3 to gather content from multiple sources including Word, FrameMaker and Interleaf, and convert that content into reusable XML components. E3 also works with Arbortext's Epic Editor and Epic Editor LE, both of which enable direct creation of XML content. Epic Intermarket integrates with repositories from Oracle, Documentum and others to enable seamless creation and management of reusable and intelligent XML information components. Through E3, Epic Intermarket extracts content from the repository, assembles it according to individual requirements, and automatically transforms it for any purpose - not only for publishing to the Web, but also for traditional catalog formats such as print and CD-ROM as well as newer devices such as PDAs, e-Books and cellular phones. In addition, Intermarket can syndicate catalog content to multiple marketplaces. Epic Intermarket supports the e-commerce schema standards from Open Applications Group, Inc., so Intermarket can exchange catalog content with business-to-business online marketplace providers such as Ariba, CommerceOne and Oracle. Epic Intermarket will ship in January 2001. Epic Editor and the Epic E-Content Engine are included in a minimum Intermarket installation. Epic Intermarket runs on the Microsoft IIS Web server running on NT Server 4.0/SP5 or later or Netscape's iPlanet Web server running on Sun Solaris 7. Epic Intermarket works with Oracle 8iFS and Java Runtime Engine 1.1.8 or later. www.arbortext.com

Vitria Extends Support for EDI
11/9/2000

Vitria Technology announced the availability of a new integration solution for EDI. Companies can now use Vitria's leading ebusiness platform, BusinessWare, to transparently access information and transactions managed by EDI-enabled business systems. BusinessWare's EDI solution enables customers to automate core business processes -- such as order management or inventory replenishment -- that integrate EDI systems with other internal enterprise applications, and with external EDI and XML-enabled trading partner systems, with equal ease. BusinessWare converts EDI transactions to and from standard EDI formats, enabling those transactions to be shared with any other system inside or outside the firewall. As companies place greater emphasis on supply and demand chain automation, there is a need to manage key business processes across trading partners regardless of enabling technology. With comprehensive support for EDI and XML-based ebusiness, EDI Solution provides a graceful migration path for companies augmenting or replacing EDI with newer, XML-based B2B integration technologies over time, such as ebXML, BizTalk, and cXML. Vitria's new EDI solution is available immediately. www.vitria.com

Linq Launches LinqPortal 3.0
11/8/2000

LINQ is extending the functionality of LinqPortal with the launch of version 3.0. LinqPortal has been developed on a vision to be a corporate portal product for international deployment together with collaborative and borderless working. LinqPortal contains all of the broad range of built-in functionality to support the scenario detailed above, including: borderless working, personal alerts, integration of groupware, personalization, role based information, application integration/single sign-on, competency & content searching, active content, case management, project workspaces/collaboration, multi-lingual (14 languages today), ERP connectors, and 100% XML architecture. Additionally LINQ is a Microsoft Dashboard software partner -- any web-part developed to the MS Digital Dashboard standard can immediately be run inside of the LinqPortal. www.linq.com

Nextenso to Incorporate IntraNet Solutions' Outside In
11/8/2000

IntraNet Solutions, Inc. and Nextenso announced an agreement allowing users of Internet portals powered by Nextenso to access virtually any office document from their mobile phone, wireless information device, computer and/or fixed-line Internet telephone using IntraNet Solutions' Outside In technology for transforming information to HTML and WML. For example, users of Nextenso-powered portals can display email attachments as an HTML or WML file, or deliver them as faxes. Nextenso integrates into existing network environments, leveraging the value of portals by taking advantage of existing Internet content. Nextenso will initially distribute the Outside In technology as an optional feature to customers who request it. This agreement forms the basis of a strategic relationship that can be extended in the future to general distribution for all Nextenso customers. www.nextenso.com

Aether Announces ScoutWeb V.1.1
11/8/2000

Aether Systems, Inc. announced the general availability of ScoutWeb v.1.1, a key software component of the company's ScoutWare product suite. ScoutWeb allows content providers (enterprise businesses, web portals, publishers) and wireless carriers to deliver intranet and Internet content to mobile workers via handheld devices, whenever and wherever they need it. ScoutWeb v.1.1 now supports a range of encryption levels, including the highest level of SSL encryption available (128-bit SSL v3). This enables users to access web content and applications through Internet standard SSL connections that were previously unavailable to mobile devices. ScoutWeb follows a create once, deliver everywhere philosophy. ScoutWeb software dynamically transcodes HTML content for display on HTML-based or WML-based handheld devices using any handheld device browser including the Palm Web Clipping Browser, Pocket Internet Explorer, and WAP enabled smart phones. This create-once, deliver-everywhere approach eliminates the need to build and maintain separate web pages for different devices and browsers, or the need to install proprietary browser software on the hand- held device. Additionally, ScoutWeb lowers production and editorial costs, and eliminates the need to install and upgrade software on the handheld device. Other features of ScoutWeb include: Support for HTML, WML, XML, and XHTML; Support for all mobile devices and mobile operating systems including PalmOS, Windows CE and the new generation of smart phones; Mark-up language conversion for content tuning to suit device capability; And an interpolation feature which allows for varying degrees of image conversion. ScoutWeb is available from Aether starting at $30,000 (U.S.) for a single CPU server. www.aethersystems.com

Silverstream Enhances eBusiness Platform Offering
11/7/2000

SilverStream Software, Inc. released its updated eBusiness Platform. The Java and XML-based SilverStream eBusiness Platform includes: SilverStream ePortal 2.0 - An integrated offering comprised of an application framework, business components, and underlying eBusiness services for delivering Internet applications; Enhanced business manager tool suite; Personalization; A new workflow engine; Enhanced content management capabilities; SilverStream xCommerce 2.0 - Am XML-enabling service that allows Internet applications to access mainframes and external business systems; Enhanced support of J2EE standards; Enterprise Enablers for IBM 3270, 5250 and CICS; and SilverStream Application Server 3.7. Customers can combine elements of the SilverStream eBusiness Platform for a comprehensive integrated solution, or deploy separate products that integrate flexibly into any enterprise architectures. Web services created in xCommerce are deployed to open, standards-based J2EE application servers running on Windows NT and Unix. In addition to supporting the SilverStream Application Server, xCommerce 2.0 now supports IBM's WebSphere. Additionally, SilverStream supports RosettaNet, OAG, ebXML, cXML, xCBL, ACORD, tpaML and SOAP. www.silverstream.com

AgentWare Introduces AgentWare Syndicator for Exchanges
11/6/2000

AgentWare released AgentWare Syndicator for B2B Exchanges, a software infrastructure solution that provides Global 2000 companies and B2B Exchanges a packaged solution for building and managing trading communities. This solution allows e-businesses to develop and manage B2B exchange applications without the traditional dependencies on costly infrastructure and labor. AgentWare's e-business syndication platform, the Syndicator, provides an open Java and XML based architecture that helps e-businesses build and adapt Internet applications quickly to meet changing market demands. The Syndicator provides a scalable, efficient solution that enables customized syndication of content, commerce and services from multiple sources on the Internet to any device connected to the Internet. www.agentware.net

SoftLock Unveils Version 3.0 of Its Digital Rights Management Service
11/6/2000

SoftLock.com, Inc. announced Version 3.0 of its digital rights management (DRM) service. Version 3.0 offers digital content providers a highly scalable solution for the distribution of secure digital content. The widespread use of XML as a core technology in Version 3.0 allows content providers to easily integrate their business and e-commerce services with SoftLock's content hosting, security, and marketing services. SoftLock's Dynamic Content Locking, a key feature of Version 3.0, enables digital content to be packaged, secured and distributed in real-time. Dynamic Content Locking is an innovative approach to DRM, which allows consumers to order digital documents that are customized to their interests, packaged on the fly and delivered within seconds. This technology allows content providers to focus on maintaining their content database rather than on the production and distribution of the final packaged product. Version 3.0 enables digital content marketing through integration points that deliver content offers to consumers through affiliate retailers, search engines, registration and contextual mapping. DCM provides the tools to market, distribute and sell premium digital content securely, through a comprehensive network of innovative technology, services and partners. Another feature of Version 3.0 is an enhanced rendition of SoftLock's Passalong viral marketing technology. Passalong, an integral part of SoftLock's digital content marketing offering encourages sharing amount colleagues and friends, while the content's copyright security wrapper remains intact. Content publishers encourage the use of Passalong because it results in additional sales while reducing customer acquisition costs. www.softlock.com

Citrix & Sequoia Ink NFuse Licensing Deal
11/6/2000

Citrix Systems, Inc. and Sequoia Software, Inc. announced a software licensing agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Sequoia can market and demonstrate Citrix NFuse application portal software with its XML Portal Server, XPS, for customers that are already running applications on the Citrix MetaFrame server. As part of the deal, Sequoia also has joined the Citrix Business Alliance at the Premier level. Sequoia will use NFuse to create XPS Content Delivery Agents (CDAs), which are individual, easy to use Web-based applications that snap directly into a portal users' homepage. The NFuse-based CDAs will appear alongside other work-related information and applications, allowing users to easily retrieve and assimilate information from MetaFrame-based applications directly from through XPS. In addition to establishing joint enterprise marketing and sales opportunities, the Citrix/Sequoia agreement sets the stage for channel development and joint sales force education. www.sequoiasoftware.com, www.citrix.com

Marimba Partners with CacheFlow to Deliver Content Management
11/6/2000

Marimba, Inc. announced it would integrate support for CacheFlow Server Accelerators into its Timbale product family, as well as join the Adaptive Content Exchange Initiative. The combined solution will facilitate the distribution of updated and dynamic content from the content publisher to the content consumer. ACE is the CacheFlow-led industry initiative that combines building blocks from CacheFlow and over 30 leading industry partners to deliver an end-to-end solution for content intelligent networking. Through this partnership, the companies will provide their customers an end-to-end content management solution that allows dynamic and changing content to be transparently updated throughout the network. This solution will provide up-to-the-second content by efficiently delivering it from the application server to distributed caching appliances. www.cacheflow.com, www.marimba.com

VCIX Releases Browser-Based Interface for Cortra Site Studio
11/6/2000

VCIX introduced ObjectXplorer, a graphical user interface for its Cortra Site Studio software. The uniqueness of ObjectXplorer lies in its object-oriented approach to the editing and management of web-based content. Articles, photographs, multimedia presentations, and other industry formats for web publishing are managed as flexible objects using ObjectXplorer. In addition to greatly simplifying the task of editors and website designers, ObjectXplorer makes it unnecessary to develop new and separate GUI's for each individual project. ObjectXplorer not only speeds development time but also enables VCIX to provide customers with a single user interface for all of the web-based applications that Cortra currently provides: a portal manager, a classified ad manager, a digital asset manager, an intranet, an extranet and an e-commerce application for integration with on-line shops and stores. Cortra Site Studio enables non-technical staff to control all aspects of a web site's content management, without the need for programmers or skilled technicians. A wide range of objects including text, images, and streaming media can be easily published, archived, scheduled, and managed, thereby producing a dynamic, robust, and scalable site that is easy to maintain and to adapt to changing business requirements. The Cortra software includes built-in support for XML. www.vcix.com

Vitria Announces New Release of Transformation Tool
11/3/2000

Vitria Technology, Inc. announced the next release of its data transformation component, BusinessWare Transformer 2.0. An integral component of Vitria's ebusiness platform, Transformer provides the mapping services required to reconcile the disparate data and document formats encountered when integrating applications and trading partners within and across the extended enterprise. BusinessWare Transformer 2.0 is available immediately. Transformer provides a powerful and easy-to-use graphical tool that can solve simple to complex transformation problems without programming. For simple transformations, users drag and drop input fields onto output fields. In some cases, Transformer can detect and perform common transformations, such as mapping corresponding field names, automatically. For complex transformations, such as nested data structures, Transformer's "Auto-Iterator" enables the transformation to be performed graphically. Augmenting Transformer's drag-and-drop user interface is a set of built-in functions such as date conversions and string manipulations. Customers can also create user-defined functions using industry-standard Java and JavaScript. Transformer is an integral component of Vitria's ebusiness platform, BusinessWare. Transformer is also an integral part of BusinessWare's graphical connection modeling environment, allowing powerful transformations to be built into existing or new connection models, stored in the BusinessWare Repository. www.vitria.com

Vignette Teams with Virage
11/2/2000

Virage, Inc. announced that it has joined forces with Vignette Corp., Sun Microsystems and 12 other partners to define enterprise requirements for content management. The group has created the eXtended Content Management (XCM) Alliance -- a one-stop destination for companies looking for comprehensive content management solutions for building online businesses. The alliance intends to create and define the standard criteria for content management solutions and help companies develop a framework for evaluating their various business needs to create fully-integrated, end-to-end solutions. In addition, it plans to allow customers to contact one source when buying the highest quality content management solutions available that are extensible, scalable and easily integrated. The XCM Alliance brings together vendors from the three major categories that make up the content management world: Content Development Management, Application Content Management and Content Delivery/Acceleration Management. Classifying content management applications in this way is designed to enable customers to make faster, smarter purchasing decisions. www.vignette.com, www.virage.com

This follows a number of Vignette partnerships with vendors in the rich media space.

Software AG to Acquire Saga Systems
11/2/2000

Software AG and SAGA Systems Inc. announced that Software AG will acquire all outstanding common stock in SAGA Systems for US$11.50 per SAGA Systems share in cash, for a total transaction value of approximately US$360 million. (Until March 1997, SAGA Systems was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Software AG, at which time the senior management of SAGA Systems together with Thayer Capital acquired 90% of the share capital.) SAGA's markets and services Software AG's products in North and South America, Japan and Israel. In addition, SAGA Systems licenses and services its own enterprise application integration product, Sagavista. With the acquisition of SAGA, Software AG will gain direct access to the large customer base in North and South America, Japan and Israel. The combined sales force will provide Software AG with a platform for accelerating growth of its Electronic Business products in the North American market. Software AG will combine the North American operations of Software AG and SAGA Systems into a single operating unit. Software AG, with its new headquarters in Reston, VA. and a major branch office in San Ramon, CA, will be present in 14 major business locations across the U.S. Software AG expects to incur a one-time cost of up to Euro 20 million in 2001. The transaction is expected to be significantly revenue and earnings enhancing to Software AG, excluding one-time costs. The acquisition of SAGA Systems is expected to close in Q1 2001. www.softwareag.com, www.sagasoftware.com

worldweb.net & IBM Partner on E-Retailer Solutions
11/1/2000

worldweb.net, Inc. and IBM Global Services (IGS) announce a partnership in which IGS will bundle Expressroom I/O into its e-Commerce for Retail solution. IBM's e-Commerce for Retail solution is a bundled software, hardware, and services solution designed to provide a full-function, production-ready, e-Commerce web site to customers who desire an efficient, scaleable, and reliable e-Commerce presence. This solution provides the essential elements of a retail e-Commerce application, enabling a customer to quickly implement a functional site using a combination of technologies. Expressroom I/O will be used with WebSphere and WebSphere Commerce, as a core component of IBM's e-Commerce for Retail solution. Within this framework, customers will be able to easily create, manage, deploy, and deliver their content in one complete e-Commerce solution. Content is seen as an essential component of this offering, and worldweb.net's Expressroom I/O is the chosen solution to meet the demanding content management needs of the IBM Global Services e-Commerce for Retail customers. www.worldweb.net, www.ibm.com

RioLabs Unveils RioTrade 2.0
11/1/2000

RioLabs Inc. announced the availability of RioTrade 2.0, a solution that enables rapid integration of suppliers into e-marketplaces. RioTrade 2.0 allows faster time-to-market for suppliers who need to rapidly integrate with e-marketplaces of their choice, and with online buyers. RioTrade's technology uses a virtual file system that links enterprise information sources with applications through a graphical interface -- without writing any code. Version 2.0 includes: Commerce One xCBL support, Ariba cXML support, SAP support, EDI support with pre-built XML-EDI maps, Windows 2000 Datacenter Server support, and 3-5 day implementation. RioLabs' offering helps e-marketplaces deliver on the promise of B2B e-commerce by quickly enabling the supply side of the equation. RioTrade quickly enables companies who want to establish electronic trading relationships with business partners by mapping disparate enterprise systems to XML-based transactions. This technology offers customers performance, reliability and scalability for automated transactions. RioTrade 2.0 includes support for existing EDI systems, allowing suppliers to maximize existing EDI investments. It handles all EDI formats, including ANSI X12 and EDIFACT. RioLabs also supports EDI applications such as TIE Commerce, GE Global Exchange Services, Sterling Commerce, Peregrine Systems and Compaq-DEC. www.riolabs.com

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