News For May, 2001

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) announced the publication of two W3C Recommendations: XHTML 1.1 and Ruby Annotation. XHTML 1.1 defines a new XHTML document type that is based upon the modularization framework and modules defined in Modularization of XHTML, and serves as the basis for future extended XHTML 'family' document types. Ruby Annotation provides an XHTML module for expressing short runs of text alongside base text, typically used in East Asian documents to indicate pronunciation or to provide a short annotation. The modules are defined in Modularization of XHTML. XHTML Basic is an example of fairly minimal build of these modules and is targeted at mobile applications. XHTML 1.1 is an example of a larger build of the modules, avoiding many of the presentation features. XHTML 1.1 defines a new XHTML document type that is designed to be portable to a broad collection of client devices, and applicable to the majority of Internet content. Content developers who base their content upon XHTML 1.1 can trust that it will be consistently portable across user agents which support XHTML. In Japanese and Chinese, it is common practice to put annotations in a very small font next to printed text to aid readers in pronunciation of rarer ideographic characters. These annotations are called "ruby," from the name British printers used to describe a 5.5 point typeface. Ruby annotations regularly appear in Japanese magazines, as well as Chinese and Japanese textbooks. While many international typography needs can be fulfilled through the use of style sheet languages such as CSS or XSL, additional markup is needed to define the relationship between the base text and its annotation. Ruby Annotation delivers this functionality to the Web in the form of an XHTML module, thus allowing ruby to be correctly rendered along with the basic text without using special workarounds or graphics. www.w3.org

FileNET Ships Panagon Connector Modules for Vignette
5/31/2001

FileNET Corp. and Vignette Corp. announced the delivery of the Panagon Connector Modules for Vignette (CMV). CMV integrate FileNET's Panagon eProcess and eContent Services with Vignette's application suite to significantly reduce implementation timeframes and accelerate time-to-market for critical eBusiness applications. CMV are now available from FileNET for immediate deployment. Panagon Connector Modules for Vignette bring together FileNET's eProcess technologies and repository services with Vignette's enterprise content management, relationship marketing, personalization, mobile communications delivery and analytical tools. The modules' sample templates greatly reduce implementation times by providing customers with out-of-the-box capabilities. Panagon Connector Modules for Vignette are available from FileNET. www.FileNET.com, www.vignette.com

Interwoven OEM Agreement With IBM Integrates TeamXpress Into WebSphere
5/30/2001

Interwoven, Inc. announced the availability of Interwoven TeamXpress for IBM's new WebSphere User Experience offering. TeamXpress software provides content collaboration, content management and content distribution functionality for the recently announced IBM WebSphere User Experience offering and provides a complete solution for creating and maintaining dynamic, personalized Web content. Interwoven TeamXpress for WebSphere provides: functionality for a single Web site with a maximum of 40 content contributors, templating, all-asset virtualization, versioning, and database and file-system asset deployment. TeamXpress offers bundled capabilities of Interwoven's Web Content Infrastructure product suite including TeamSite, TeamSite Templating, OpenDeploy and Turbo 2.0. TeamXpress uses Interwoven Turbo 2.0 technology for integration with WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere Personalization, WebSphere Studio, IBM Content Manager and IBM Enterprise Information Portal. TeamXpress can be upgraded to Interwoven's full Content Infrastructure product suite. Interwoven TeamXpress is available directly from IBM. www.ibm.com, www.interwoven.com

TIBCO Announces Release of XML Validate
5/30/2001

TIBCO Software Inc. announced the commercial release of XML Validate, a member of the TIBCO Extensibility product family. XML Validate is an enterprise-grade solution for validating streaming XML documents or messages against an XML Schema or DTD. This Simple API for XML (SAX)-based implementation for run-time validation provides organizations with the core component in developing high bandwidth, XML-based processing. XML Validate is a core building block for creating an e-commerce processing engine for XML documents and messages, and has the potential of handling millions of transactions per day per server. XML Validate can easily be inserted into an existing XML parsing scenario, enabling validation to occur the instant it is received by the parser. Additionally, it supports the validation of DTDs to allow connectivity with organizations not currently using XML Schema. XML Validate is an SDK and will run on Windows 2000, NT and UNIX platforms. It is available on a per server basis and currently available for delivery. www.extensibility.com, www.xmlschema.com, www.tibco.com

Software AG Announces Partnerships with BEA & HP
5/29/2001

Software AG and BEA Systems, Inc. announced a strategic alliance as part of the BEA Star Partner Program. Software AG will immediately become a BEA 3 STAR partner. Tamino X-Bridge will enhance the XML capabilities of BEA WebLogic Collaborate and Process Integrator and Tamino X-Node will enhance the back-end database access capabilities of BEA WebLogic. Tamino XML server will also be optimized for package sales with HP Bluestone's J2EE application server. In addition, Tamino has been ported to HP-UX 11. Software AG is now a premier member of HP's Computing Solution Provider Program. Customers can now purchase Tamino and HP Bluestone's J2EE application server at a better rate as a package than as separate products. Initially, joint sales activities will focus on the German market, moving to other regions at a later point in time. www.softwareagusa.com, www.hp.com, www.softwareag.com, www.hewlett-packard.de, www.bea.com

GIM.NET Releases InfoServe-2.0
5/25/2001

Global Internet Management Corp. (GIM.NET) announced the release of InfoServe-2.0. InfoServe is a Web content management software product that combines customized template design and content management functions with extensive e-business operations and intranet features. Version 2.0 enhances editing tools with a new graphic interface, expands user permissions management functions, and broadens the module library with upgraded e-commerce and newsletter management functionalities. www.gim.net

Open Market Announces Integration With iPlanet Portal Server 3.0
5/24/2001

Open Market, Inc. announced the availability of an integration between its Content Server Enterprise Edition (CSEE) software and the iPlanet Portal Server 3.0 from iPlanet E-Commerce Solution. This integration provides interoperability between the iPlanet Portal Server and Open Market's CSEE software through a plug-in. With this integration, iPlanet Portal Server "channels" are used to access Open Market's applications and the content they manage. For example, one channel can allow geographically dispersed content contributors to access Open Market's applications with a single sign-on. Another channel allows iPlanet Portal Server users to access news and company information that is targeted to their role in the organization. Open Market and iPlanet worked in conjunction with Migration Software Systems to allow the two environments to operate as a single solution. The integrated solution is available today from both Open Market and iPlanet. The two organizations are finalizing agreements regarding continued development and support of the integrated plug-in. www.openmarket.com

Arbortext in deals with SealedMedia for DRM & empolis for Content Management
5/24/2001

SealedMedia and Arbortext announced they have entered into a partnership to provide publishers with a solution to protect and distribute digital content using XML technology. Through Arbortext's software, enterprises are able to use a Single Source Publishing Architecture to capture content from a variety of sources, store and manage that content in an XML repository, and extract and assemble that content according to individual needs for publishing to multiple media types: Web, print, CD-ROM, e-Books and wireless devices. SealedMedia's DRM technology allows content owners to seal content in a variety of formats (HTML, PDF, image and audio formats, etc.) and distribute it digitally to end users with flexible license configurations in the knowledge that it always remains protected. Arbortext, Inc. and empolis content management GmbH (formerly known as STEP GmbH), a subsidiary of Bertelsmann Mohn Media Group, also announced that sigmalink has been integrated with the Epic E-Content Engine (E3) to add multi- channel publishing to the sigmalink content management system.  www.arbortext.com, www.sealedmedia.com, www.empolis.com

CSC PLOENZKE & empolis GmbH forming partnership
5/23/2001

A cooperation agreement between CSC PLOENZKE and empolis content management GmbH is in place for the XML product line from empolis where CSC PLOENZKE provides its integration services. The current focus of this agreement is to professionally meet all requirements demanded by extended and distributed projects for mid-sized, as well as large international enterprises. The cooperation agreement will initially be based on sigmalink, empolis’s content management solution. XML based knowledge management products from empolis will also become an integral part of the product range provided through CSC PLOENZKE’s services. www.cscploenzke.de, www.empolis.com

eBT Announces Liquidation
5/23/2001

eBT International, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously voted to dissolve and liquidate the Company, subject to the approval of the holders of a majority of its shares. Based upon current information, the Company anticipates that assets available for distribution to shareholders will be between $3.10 and $3.22 per share. The Board will call a special meeting of shareholders, expected to be held in August 2001, to approve the Plan of Complete Liquidation and Dissolution. A Proxy statement describing the Plan will be mailed to shareholders approximately 30 days prior to the meeting. In reaching its decision that the plan of liquidation and dissolution is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders, the Board of Directors considered a number of factors. The Proxy statement will describe these factors in detail, including the Company's recent performance, the state of the content management industry, prevailing economic conditions and previous unsuccessful efforts to sell or merge the Company last year and more recently. The Board also considered restructuring the business in light of the Company's unsatisfactory revenue performance in the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2001. These plans, including plans involving significant reductions in the Company's current operations, either entailed considerable risk, or did not demonstrate that positive operating cash flow or operating income could be achieved in a period of time acceptable to the Board, and required a significant amount of cash to fund the Company's operations prior to the achievement of potentially acceptable financial results. In connection with the intent to liquidate, the Company has begun the orderly wind down of its operations, including laying off the majority of its employees, seeking purchasers for the sale of its intellectual property and other tangible and intangible assets and providing for its outstanding and potential liabilities. In addition, the Company will continue to provide support and maintenance to existing maintenance agreement holders for the duration of their current contracts. www.ebt.com

Too bad about this. They had one of the first and most sophisticated content management systems. Presumably, someone will pick up some of the technology – there are certainly many vendors who could use some of the capability.

OnePage Introduces MyWeb for Vertical Portals & Consumer Sites
5/21/2001

OnePage, Inc. introduced MyWeb, a fully integrated portal solution for vertical portals and consumer sites that allows for complete end-user customization of content. This follows the recent introduction of Content Connect, OnePage's portlet-building tool designed for corporate portals. MyWeb creates a personalized and relevant experience for users. Employing an intuitive interface and a simple point-click-capture method, users identify and grab any web-based content, including information from the Internet, intranets, web-based email and personal accounts, local and broadband content and partner datafeeds. OnePage's software integrates into all popular portal platforms and translates into HTML, XML or WML for use in a variety of wireless, enterprise and web service applications. For vertical portals and web publishers, MyWeb generates higher adoption of portal and "mypage" services. Because OnePage's software is user-driven, costs associated with deployment and management of highly personalized pages is reduced to a minimum. www.onepage.com

Their focus on HTML content is what differentiates them from, and allows them to partner with, other portal vendors.

Interwoven & Netegrity Form Alliance for Portals & Marketplaces
5/21/2001

Interwoven, Inc. and Netegrity, Inc. announced an alliance and planned integration of their two products. The joint offering will provide a solution for portal and B2B infrastructure beyond the four walls of the enterprise, allowing customers, suppliers, partners, and employees to contribute and manage their content in an efficient and effective manner. Together, Interwoven TeamSite software and Netegrity's SiteMinder platform will enable enterprises to streamline the content collaboration and content management processes for portal users and marketplace participants. Netegrity's single sign-on offers the capability for all portal users to be automatically logged into TeamSite and be provided the proper roles and permissions to contribute content to the Web site. Portal users are then able to avoid logging into the portal multiple times and ultimately have a more efficient user experience. www.netegrity.com, www.interwoven.com

As content management continues to become more of an enterprise application, security and access become more important. See our Volume 9, Number 3 for more on this topic.

Mercado Announces 'UniClass', e-Catalog Tool
5/21/2001

Mercado Software announced UniClass, an automated product classification and attribute extraction solution for e-Catalogs. With the introduction of UniClass, Mercado Software broadens its offering of e-Catalog Essentials to distributors, shopping portals, e-Procurement sites, e-Marketplaces, and e-Catalog content providers. UniClass quickly and accurately processes hundreds of catalogs with millions of SKUs across multiple product domains. It has the flexibility to support any standard or custom classification scheme. UniClass provides rich content and consistent results -- with 99% accuracy. UniClass works With Any Classification Scheme UniClass works with the aggregator's preferred classification system, whether it is an e-Commerce industry standard (such as UNSPSC, eCl@ss, or RUS) or its own custom classification scheme. UniClass accommodates any e-Catalog. It works with any catalog database and can import and export files in XML or delimited text format. UniClass accommodates any XML format, including e-Commerce industry standard such as xCBL, cXML and ebXML. UniClass is available immediately through Mercado Software sales channels worldwide. Contact Mercado Software for pricing. www.mercado.com

Mozquito Reveals XForms Technology
5/16/2001

Mozquito Technologies unveiled new XForms technology that will simplify online business-to-business transactions. Mozquito XForms is XML-based Web development software that allows current Web browsers to handle XML data easily and effectively, making online business transactions much easier. With Mozquito XForms, end-users don't have to install plug-ins or download new versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. This technology has emerged alongside standards now being developed by the W3C. Mozquito Technologies is committed to ensuring that XForms will be developed in strict accordance with the standards set by the W3C. XForms will enable other applications to integrate with XML databases (such as Software AG's Tamino database) instantly, allowing for fast access and efficient processing of any business-critical data that needs to be sent to or downloaded from a database. www.Mozquito.com

The most interesting aspect of this technology is the ability to take advantage of XHTML without re-quiring your users to have XHTML compatible browsers.

Ontopia announces OEM deal with Starbase
5/16/2001

Ontopia AS, announced that Starbase Corporation has signed a definitive strategic agreement to license Ontopia's Topic Map technology. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Starbase Corporation will adopt Ontopia technology as part of their strategic corporate solution for a number of mission-critical initiatives. Topic Mapping is a new paradigm for organizing, retrieving, and navigating information. Through the provision of a 'knowledge layer' that is independent of the information resources themselves, topic maps help capture and manage corporate memory, improve indexing, and enable the integration of information that spans multiple, disparate repositories. Topic Maps are an international standard, defined by ISO, and can be interchanged using XML. www.starbase.com, www.ontopia.net

Context Media & Artesia Partner
5/16/2001

Context Media, Inc. and Artesia Technologies announced a collaboration to produce a B2B system for managing, sharing, distributing, and syndicating an organization's valuable digital content assets. The new solution integrates Artesia's TEAMS Digital Asset Management Solution, which enables organizations to capture, manage, and dynamically re- express rich-media assets, with Context Media's Interchange Platform, which extends these packages to the content owner's distribution partners for sharing or syndication. The combined solution gives customers the ability to take content indexed and managed with TEAMS and extend it by making it available to partners and affiliates through the Interchange Platform. www.artesia.com, www.contextmedia.com

Vendors Promote Specification for Dynamic Assembly of Web Applications & Content
5/15/2001

Vendors in the Application Server, Content Infrastructure, Content Management, Technology Strategy and Integration, and Content Delivery Network (CDN) industries announced today their support for Edge Side Includes (ESI), a simple markup language used to define Web page fragments for dynamic assembly and delivery of Web applications at the network edge. Unique to ESI is a mechanism for managing content transparently across Application Server solutions, Content Infrastructure, Content Management Systems and CDNs. As a result, ESI enables companies to develop Web applications once and choose at deployment time where the application should be assembled -- on the application server, the content infrastructure, the content management system or the content delivery network, thus reducing complexity, development time and deployment costs. Akamai, ATG, BEA Systems, Circadence, Digital Island, IBM, Interwoven, Oracle, and Vignette have co-authored the specification as a proposed open language for creating a uniform programming model that facilitates interoperability of ESI-compliant applications across multiple vendor implementations. In addition, Fort Point Partners, kpe, Macromedia, Mirror Image, Open Market, and SilverStream have endorsed ESI as a proposed specification to provide more flexible and cost-effective solutions to their customers. For more information on ESI, including a draft of the specification, an ESI Overview and technical documents, please visit www.edge-delivery.org

This seems like a long shot to us.

ebXML Approved
5/14/2001

UN/CEFACT and OASIS announced that participants from around the world approved ebXML specifications at a meeting in Vienna, Austria on 11 May 2001. ebXML, which began as an 18-month initiative sponsored by UN/CEFACT and OASIS, is a modular suite of specifications that enables enterprises of any size and in any geographical location to conduct business over the Internet. Using ebXML, companies now have a standard method to exchange business messages, conduct trading relationships, communicate data in common terms and define and register business processes. ebXML specifications and technical reports are available at no charge on www.ebxml.org. Approved specifications include ebXML Technical Architecture, Business Process Specification Schema, Registry Information Model, Registry Services, ebXML Requirements, Message Service and Collaboration-Protocol Profile and Agreement. Accepted ebXML Technical Reports include: Business Process and Business Information Analysis Overview, Business Process Analysis Worksheets & Guidelines, E-Commerce Patterns, Catalog of Common Business Processes, Core Component Overview, Core Component Discovery and Analysis, Context and Re-Usability of Core Components, Guide to the Core Components Dictionary, Naming Convention for Core Components, Document Assembly and Context Rules, Catalogue of Context Drivers, Core Component Dictionary, Core Component Structure and Technical Architecture Risk Assessment. RosettaNet plans to integrate support for the ebXML Messaging Services Specification in future releases of their Implementation Framework (RNIF). The Global Commerce Initiative, which represents manufacturers and retailers of consumer goods, chose to base their new Internet protocol standard for trading exchanges and B2B communications on ebXML. Other industry organizations, such as the Automotive Industry Action Group, Health Level Seven, Open Applications Group, Open Travel Alliance, SWIFT and formal international and North American EDI standards bodies, have also been active participants in the ebXML initiative. www.ebXML.org, www.uncefact.org, www.oasis-open.org

No surprise here – it may not be exciting but it is important, and is likely to be around for a long time.

Ektron Releases eWebEditPro 2.0
5/14/2001

Ektron, Inc. has released Version 2.0 of its eWebEditPro, a multi-language, browser-based WYSIWYG Web content authoring and editing tool. A "go-to" Web content editor for Web developers, VARs, ISVs, consultants and hosts, eWebEditPro delivers a familiar Word-like environment for business end-users, along with server-side controls for IT staff. Major updates to Version 2.0 include simplified installation/integration, enhanced IT-side controls, new features for customization, and new content formatting functionality. eWebEditPro works with all Web application servers and ships with sample code for Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP), Macromedia ColdFusion, JSP, PHP and Lasso. Sample code for Lotus Domino and Perl will be released soon. eWebEditPro replaces an HTML text area field in dynamic Web sites or browser-based applications - giving users a toolbar that lets them apply fonts and headings; copy and paste from most Windows applications without losing formatting; insert tables, images, and hyperlinks; and check spelling. Version 2.0 offers new buttons such as redo, horizontal rules, special characters, superscript/subscript, strikethrough and more. eWebEditPro 2.0 includes a fully customizable and extensible XML-based programmable toolbar as well as new JavaScript API for custom development and extended functionality. eWebEditPro 2.0 includes support for Netscape 4.7 and 6.0. Additional features in Version 2.0 include cascading style sheet support and style sheet override; document formatting enhancements to more closely match MS Word; and options for output as "clean HTML" (to protect against overlapping tags) or XHTML (useful for WAP, XSLT, etc.). eWebEditPro 2.0 can be used to edit the text only, HTML body only, or the entire document. www.ektron.com

TRADOS Announces TRADOS 5
5/14/2001

TRADOS Incorporated announced the availability of TRADOS 5, its new platform for translation and localization of business content worldwide. Using TRADOS 5, international organizations can easily and quickly adapt all their corporate language content including products, websites, marketing materials and business documents to compete in foreign markets. New features include: WorkSpace - a single interface that integrates project management capabilities with the suite of TRADOS computer aided translation (CAT) tools; ExtraTerm - a terminology extraction application that automates the process of compiling specialized term lists, dramatically shrinking cycle-times for the terminology management process; XTranslate - eliminates the need to review new versions of previously translated documents late in the project-update cycle; TRADOStag – an XML-based tool that unifies the translation process for all DTP and tagged formats such as HTML, XML and SGML. Currently available, TRADOS 5 offers a preferred-pricing discount structure for orders placed before June 25, 2001. Pricing is dependent on configuration. www.trados.com

Vignette Announces Enterprise Portal Application
5/14/2001

Vignette Corp. announced the upcoming release of the Vignette Enterprise Application Portal. The Vignette Enterprise Application Portal is a fully configurable, J2EE-based, out-of-the-box solution that provides the necessary infrastructure for a company to deploy an enterprise-level portal to carry out e-business transactions; manage relationships with customers, partners, suppliers and employees; and perform many mission-critical business functions through a common, enterprise-scale interface. The Vignette Enterprise Application Portal features browser-based management dashboards that enable business and technical users to control a host of functions from a central location. Site administrators can configure the portal to manage content from disparate sources and deliver what is relevant to users on a contextual basis. A customer-facing portal deployed using the Vignette Enterprise Application Portal can gather information about users as they move through the digital environment and make recommendations about content and presentation based on behavior and usage patterns. The Vignette Enterprise Application Portal enables out-of-the-box collaboration through virtual team rooms, threaded discussion groups and shared calendars, bringing a community of users together online. Delegated administration capabilities help organizations to reduce overhead costs for customizing, configuring and deploying their portal structure by putting administration responsibilities in the hands of business owners while allowing information technology workers to retain technical and architectural control. The Vignette Enterprise Application Portal will be available to customers in early July 2001. www.vignette.com

This naturally raises the question about the continuing relationship between Vignette and other por-tal vendors they have partnered with.

Openpages Enhances ContentWare
5/14/2001

Openpages, Inc. announced the latest version of ContentWare, the company's content production solution. ContentWare 2.6 provides users with additional tools for managing digital assets, importing content from other systems and for administering and implementing the application. The extended capabilities of ContentWare 2.6 include: Macromedia Dreamweaver & Freehand Integration in addition to Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator; AutoImport can now run in parallel on several servers; Customizable Metadata Capture; Richer Quark Support for Print Content Production; HTML Links Spider; Installation Wizards; and Custom Forms Creation Tools. The new release of ContentWare is available immediately. www.openpages.com

IntraNet Solutions Releases Outside In XML Export
5/14/2001

IntraNet Solutions, Inc. announced the release of Outside In XML Export. The product automatically converts more than 225 file formats to XML, enabling easy access to business information stored in legacy files, proprietary office applications and graphics. XML Export integrates into numerous applications, such as indexing, search systems and content management, including IntraNet Solutions' Xpedio Content Management system. The product uses XML transformation style sheets to convert business content to the XML standards adopted by various industries, such as healthcare, high technology and financial services. XML Export preserves and exposes the content, structure and format of native business documents during the conversion to XML. The Outside In Technology enables software developers to deploy viewing and/or conversion of file-based information within their application environment to address their users' diverse information management requirements. Outside In XML Export is shipping now. www.intranetsolutions.com/products/developer_conversion.html

This general utility could be one of those tools that end up in a lot of IT department toolboxes.

Software AG & AuthentiDate Offer Security for XML Data Storage
5/10/2001

AuthentiDate, Inc. announced that AuthentiDate will be used to provide support for the secure authentication of digital files stored in Tamino, Software AG's native XML database. This joint effort offers e-business and enterprise applications customers a secure way to protect and ensure the originality of digital content at a specific point in time. The Tamino platform is a native-XML database management system suited for storing, publishing and exchanging Web- based electronic information. Tamino users that employ AuthentiDate services will be able to take advantage of time-stamping and digital signature technology to authenticate any type of file. www.authentidate.com; www.softwareagusa.com

Mediasurface Unveils Mediasurface 3.5
5/9/2001

Mediasurface introduced the next version of its content management application software, Mediasurface 3.5. The new release has three key attributes designed to distinguish it from other content management applications: Interaction - supports user roles, rules and processes and allows contributors, whether inside or outside the organization, to interactively create content while adhering to business processes through its flexible workflow capabilities; Intelligence - Combines knowledge and content management into Mediasurface 3.5, enabling the user community to intelligently store and retrieve content when needed; and Integration - New integration capabilities, including pre-built adapters for application servers, commerce applications and content exchange tools, along with a software developer's kit. Mediasurface 3.5 includes a deep integration at the server level with APIs from Autonomy Dynamic Reasoning Reason Engine and Oracle Intermedia. Mediasurface 3.5 includes integration adapters to provide out-of-the-box integration with e-business products in a wide range of categories (CRM, e-Commerce, B2B marketplace, application servers, localization, digital channels and content exchange). The Mediasurface 3.5 software development kit (SDK) provides developers with the facilities -- technical interfaces, open standards including XML, J2EE, LDAP and SQL, sample code, and best practices -- to develop their own adapters and leverage many of the core features and extension points of the Mediasurface architecture. Mediasurface 3.5 will be available by the end of May 2001. www.mediasurface.com

Mediasurface is (or ‘are’ for you anglophiles) one of the more aggressive European content man-agement companies on the North America market. And, they are well funded.

SearchCube Unleashes SearchRocket
5/9/2001

SearchCube, Inc. announced SearchRocket, their Internet software with a new user-interface paradigm that facilitates rapid searching on the Internet and presents results in a compact, hierarchical format. SearchRocket is a Windows application that searches search engines such as Google and Yahoo as well as search engines in fields such as Information Technology, Medical, Finance, and Genealogy. The search results can be viewed in different ways, rapidly filtered, and selected links can be deleted, annotated or bookmarked. The results are saved using XML in a document known as a Search Cube that can be sent to other users or refreshed later. SearchRocket has features not available with other Internet search applications and bots. For example, a selected search result can serve as a "launch point" from which the user can initiate a new search, the results of which will be encapsulated under the selected search result. SearchRocket also can understand and expose individual search engine "power features" such as allowing a user to find other results similar to a chosen result. If a SearchRocket user chooses this option on a result then the similar pages are retrieved from the search engine and gathered and encapsulated under the selected link. SearchRocket also has the ability to expose search engine categories like Yahoo's Category Matches as separate folders. The company is seeking co-branding opportunities with other suitable companies especially in the fields of Information Technology, Medical and Finance. The company also emphasizes that SearchRocket was designed to plug into almost any search engine with minimal effort and uses XML to configure it. SearchRocket can be downloaded for free from www.searchrocket.com. Download size is 1.1 MB. SearchRocket requires one of the following browsers: Internet Explorer, Netscape, AOL, Opera, or MSN Explorer. www.searchcube.com

Documentum Web Development Kit Available
5/9/2001

Documentum announced the availability of Documentum Web Development Kit (WDK). The new J2EE-compliant toolkit allows for rapid application development and deployment, and provides partners with the basis for quickly building new products and solutions on Documentum 4i eBusiness Platform. Based on Java, WDK allows developers to work within environments that are familiar to them, thereby reducing the time, learning, and costs required to develop Web applications. WDK addresses developers' needs by making it easier and faster to develop Web-based applications on top of Documentum 4i eBusiness Platform. The toolkit includes a library of more than 50 components -- reusable, pre-built objects that perform common Documentum functions -- that developers can use to quickly create and deploy new Web-based applications that leverage the strength of the Documentum 4i eBusiness Platform. Developers will also benefit from the advanced XML capabilities of the Documentum 4i eBusiness Platform and WDK. The new toolkit makes XML available to Web applications on an application server, so content management processes such as lifecycle and workflow can be applied, further extending the functionality of the traditional Web content management application. The native XML support includes the ability to chunk content, manage links and XML components, and import XML content into a Documentum repository. www.documentum.com

IconNicholson & FatWire sign Reseller Agreement
5/8/2001

FatWire announced a strategic reseller partnership with IconNicholson. Under the terms of the agreement, IconNicholson is licensed to resell and implement FatWire's UpdateEngine5 dynamic content management software and build and resell web applications built with the product. Additionally, IconNicholson will provide continued customer support by dedicating a team of UpdateEngine certified experts to each project. To ensure quality service to customers, IconNicholson employees are certified in FatWire's technical training programs prior to installing and implementing sites with UpdateEngine. www.fatwire.com, www.iconmedialab.com

Antarcti.ca Systems Launches Library Research Tool
5/8/2001

Antarcti.ca Systems Inc. announced the launch of its Visual Net for Libraries (VNL) product. Visual Net for Libraries combines a navigation system with information-rich visuals to create large-scale data maps. Using a library's existing Web-enabled PC, researchers can enter their topics into VNL and access library holdings organized in "neighborhoods" of information with graphical metaphors used to convey relevant search criteria. By clicking on any of the graphically represented categories, users can quickly access information about specific titles. Maps containing relevant resources can be "landmarked" so researchers can easily return to them. All collections, databases and formats, periodicals, audio, video and special collections are searchable from one map. Physically separated libraries can be combined in one database that is defined geographically, or the location within a floor plan. All maps and visual icons are customizable, with graphic shapes, sizes and colors set according to each facility's parameters to describe data such as name, author, how often a book is checked out, holding format, physical location and availability. VNL scales to handle huge volumes of holdings and categories can be easily updated to reflect changes in library resources or usage and can manage restricted access to specific areas of the map. VNL is fully internationalized for multilingual facilities. Visual Net for Libraries is available immediately and is based on Antarcti.ca's visual mapping platform. Pricing varies upon application. www.antarcti.ca

DataPower Announces XSLJIT
5/7/2001

DataPower Technology, Inc. announced the introduction of its XSL just-in-time compiler technology that reduces the latency associated with XML processing by an order-of-magnitude or more. By utilizing a radically different approach to XSLT execution, DataPower is able to provide the high-speed infrastructure needed for Internet applications, from real-time financial data distribution to business transaction handling. In order to exchange business documents expressed in different XML vocabularies (RosettaNet, BizTalk, etc.) or to make XML content viewable in web browsers and wireless devices, it is necessary to perform XSLT (eXtensible Stylesheet Language) transformations on XML data. XSLT is a resource intensive process that can introduce significant delays in web services and online transactions forcing customers to demand high-performance XML technology to avoid scalability woes. DataPower's internal tests show the XSLJIT compiler achieves about 10 megabytes per second of sustained throughput using the XSLTMark benchmark. This is equivalent to Fast Ethernet speed and effectively wire-speed XML processing. With XML becoming part of the network infrastructure, wire-speed XML is essential. www.datapower.com

NeoCore Introduces XML Information Management System
5/7/2001

The NeoCore XML Management Information System Version 2.0 allows high-speed XML transaction processing, supporting the extensibility of XML without requiring changes to the database. NeoCore is releasing Version 2.0 after testing Version 1.0 with three pilot partners beginning last fall. Those tests led to the commercial release of the new version, which also features enhanced access control, scalability and transaction support. NeoCore's information technology allows computers to process information symbolically, and greatly reduces the computation required to search for data. This in turn results in lower total cost of ownership while removing the constraints of rigid definition that traditional databases such as RDBMSs require, or performance limitations in object-based stores. Version 1.0 of the NeoCore XIMS was introduced in October 2000. www.neocore.com

Ipedo Unveils XML Database Breakthrough
5/7/2001

Ipedo, Inc. introduced the Ipedo XML Database, a product that combines native-XML information storage and processing with ultra-fast main-memory performance. Used standalone or in conjunction with existing databases and file systems, the Ipedo XML Database can deliver the performance levels required by XML-intensive Web services, B2B marketplaces and wireless applications. The Ipedo XML Database simplifies XML content management, enabling e-businesses to achieve the flexibility of a dynamic and reusable XML content infrastructure without sacrificing performance. Specialized XML handling features and core performance allow companies to improve search relevance and style management for large Web sites, enable dynamic B2B portal content assembly and accelerate content customization for wireless devices. The Ipedo XML Database stores XML data natively in its structured hierarchical form, which eliminates the complex process of mapping the XML data tree structure to two-dimensional tables. Utilizing the W3C's XML query standard XPath, XML document collections can be queried directly in XML syntax. The Ipedo XML Database also contains an XSLT transformation engine that combines data access and transformation in a single step. The all-Java design integrates easily with the leading application servers to speed the development of next generation e-business applications. SOAP, DOM and XPath APIs address the needs of systems integrators, application developers and database administrators. At the core of the Ipedo XML Database is Ipedo's Active Edge architecture, a combination of network caching and intelligent main-memory data processing techniques. Optimized for 64-bit systems, large amounts of memory can be directly utilized for processing. The Ipedo XML Database is available now for Windows 2000, Windows NT, Sun Solaris and Red Hat Linux. Pricing on a per server basis starts at $50,000. www.ipedo.com

Collego Introduces Catalog Solution
5/7/2001

Collego Corporation launched its catalog application, Atomic Catalog. Atomic Catalog is a web-based catalog management application designed especially for business managers, and is based on the company's Adaptive Taxonomy Management System. With Atomic Catalog, business managers can leverage existing product information from multiple sources to create, manage, and share custom catalogs with customers and partners around the world quickly, easily, and cost-effectively. Collego's AToMS technology is implemented as a fast, highly flexible caching engine that leverages the scalability of traditional relational database management systems like Oracle and Microsoft SQL for its underlying persistent storage. With AToMS, corporations can manage and mass-customize large collections of highly granular, metadata rich information in a highly flexible environment without compromising information quality or scale. AToMS also delivers distributed computing and peer-to-peer capabilities that enable businesses to manage content in within their own organizations and achieve these efficiencies across entire supply and demand chains. Atomic Catalog is commercially available in several editions to meet the needs of different businesses. Atomic Catalog Enterprise Server is a multi-purpose, web-based catalog management application designed for enterprise customers. Atomic Catalog Partner Network Server delivers all the power of Atomic Catalog Enterprise Server plus the ability to provide suppliers, partners, and customers with secure, self-service access to an organization's catalog information. Both the Enterprise Server and the Partner Network Sever are available as hosted services for companies who prefer to leverage the infrastructure of Collego or its partners. www.collego.com

Vignette Unveils New Content Syndication & Content Aggregation Applications
5/2/2001

Vignette Corp. announced new versions of the Vignette Content Syndication Server (VCSS) and the Vignette Content Aggregation Server (VCAS). The Vignette Content Syndication Server enables companies to distribute Web-based content or comprehensive information such as catalogs and other information directly from an e-business application over HTTP and FTP. This syndication can be scheduled, on-demand or driven by events such as price, availability or any change in content, and VCSS automatically tailors the content to the format capabilities of each recipient, whether it's XML, multimedia or raw text. The Vignette Content Syndication Server can be used as a stand-alone application, or integrated with other Vignette integration applications. The new version of VCAS provides additional features, including the Vignette Agent Library Manager, an add-on tool that enables companies to easily manage the agent applications that collect and monitor their functionality. The Vignette Agent Library Manager provides a convenient way to manage and test all deployed agents on a predetermined schedule, which lowers the cost of managing any number of agents. The Vignette Agent Library Manager also provides an early warning function that helps companies avoid disruption in aggregating content. The Vignette Content Syndication Server and the Vignette Content Aggregation Server are currently available and shipping to customers. www.vignette.com

Eprise Announces Technology Alliance with ATG
5/2/2001

Eprise Corporation announced that it has formed a technology alliance with Art Technology Group, Inc. Eprise has integrated its Eprise Participant Server with the ATG Dynamo e-Business Platform to enable customers to streamline entire Web content and customer management lifecycles into a single, managed solution. Combining Strategic Content Management solutions from Eprise with ATG's customer management and e-commerce platform helps organizations manage content creation, customization, asset management, deployment and delivery. In addition, Eprise and ATG will embark upon cooperative selling and marketing activities. www.eprise.com, www.atg.com

W3C Issues XML Schema as a Recommendation
5/2/2001

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) issued XML Schema as a W3C Recommendation. XML Schemas define shared markup vocabularies, the structure of XML documents that use those vocabularies, and provide hooks to associate semantics with them. By bringing datatypes to XML, XML Schema increases XML's power and utility to the developers of electronic commerce systems, database authors and anyone interested in using and manipulating large volumes of data on the Web. By providing better integration with XML Namespaces, it makes it easier than it has ever been to define the elements and attributes in a namespace, and to validate documents that use multiple namespaces defined by different schemas. The XML Schema specification consists of three parts. One part defines a set of simple datatypes, which can be associated with XML element types and attributes; this allows XML software to do a better job of managing dates, numbers, and other special forms of information. The second part of the specification proposes methods for describing the structure and constraining the contents of XML documents, and defines the rules governing schema-validation of documents. The third part is a primer, which explains what schemas are, how they differ from DTDs, and how someone builds a schema. XML Schema are XML documents themselves, they may be managed by XML authoring tools, or through XSLT. XML Schema Tools Include Validator and Test Suite Collection W3C, with the University of Edinburgh has co-developed XSV, the XML Schema Validator. The validator has been revised at each stage of XML Schema development and now provides validation against the XML Schema Recommendation. In addition, W3C invites developers to send in sample schemas for a test suite library, to be reviewed and managed by the W3C XML Schema Working Group. www.w3.org

This dramatically increases the types of business applications you can build with XML. There will be a time when we won’t remember why datatypes weren’t supported in early generalized markup languages.

FileNET Announces Support for Microsoft's Latest Digital Dashboard
5/1/2001

FileNET Corp. announced plans to integrate its Panagon suite of eContent and eProcess management products with Microsoft's latest Digital Dashboard as part of its commitment to support Microsoft's SharePoint Portal Server. FileNET's integration efforts with the SharePoint Portal Server include support of Digital Dashboard, enhanced search capabilities, and integration with Office XP. The Digital Dashboard is a customizable portal framework that enables knowledge workers to view and collaborate on personal, team, corporate, and external information. Web-based content can be integrated into the portal via Web Parts, which offer companies an effective way to integrate any existing enterprise systems, such as analytical and collaborative tools in Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft SQL Server, into their corporate portal. www.filenet.com

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