News For June, 2001

NQL Inc. announced the availability of its Wireless Module for the NQL ContentAnywhere system. The Wireless Module is a $5,000 add-on to the recently announced NQL ContentAnywhere Office Edition and is a standard feature in the NQL ContentAnywhere Enterprise Edition. The Wireless Module is designed to make information such as inventory levels, sales data, or any other information categorized within the NQL ContentAnywhere system viewable via devices such as Palm VII handheld, Pocket PC/Handheld PC (Windows CE devices) and WAP Smart Phone. This is the second add-on module announced for the NQL ContentAnywhere Office Edition, following the announcement of the Document Management Module. The Document Management Module is designed to allow collaboration on documents created in Microsoft Office applications, XML documents, and other kinds of documents or files that can be opened by a desktop application. As a collaborative system, the Document Management Module promotes sharing, centralization, indexing, and collaboration of documents in an organization and is designed to allow users to contribute content and eliminate duplicated editing efforts. www.nqli.com

Epicentric & Others to Define Standard for Web Services
6/28/2001

Epicentric Inc. announced it is joining with a group of vendors to create a vendor-neutral standard for delivering and displaying Web services to end users as Web applications. The Web Services User Interface Standard, or WSUI Standard, allows end users to access and interact with XML and SOAP based Web services as Web applications, regardless of the underlying Web platform or vendor-specific application format. The WSUI initiative offers vendors, customers and developers the ability to develop and dynamically share Web applications without the time and labor of creating multiple vendor-specific connectors written to different Web languages such as Java, COM/.Net, and Perl. As the first standard user interface of its kind, the WSUI specification is intended to accelerate the deployment of Web services for use in portals. By exposing their applications as WSUI components, application vendors can dynamically plug their application into any portal platform running a WSUI container, decreasing vendor lock-in and increasing customer choice. WSUI leverages XML, SOAP, WSDL, XPATH, XSLT, XHTML and other standard XML-based technologies. It was constructed to be easily implemented by any programmer with XML and server-side Web skills. And because it can be implemented entirely using server-to-server-to-client using XML messaging and thin-client XHTML to the client, there are no browser dependencies and no issues with JavaScript fragility or ActiveX support. Formed by Epicentric, the WSUI Working Group will develop the specification and expects to release the initial specification and a reference implementation for review by the Web services community in late 2001. WSUI welcomes the support of all companies and individuals interested in influencing the direction and future of Web service application standards. www.wsui.org

We don’t know enough about this new standards effort to comment. But this reminds us to point out that SOAP is picking up steam.

Chrystal & Alpnet Partner on Multilingual Content Management
6/27/2001

Chrystal Software and Alpnet announced that they have signed a service partnership agreement to combine their expertise in content management and multilingual communication solutions. The agreement allows Alpnet's consultancy group to represent the combined expertise of Alpnet and Chrystal in XML and multilingual information management, to provide complete multilingual content management solutions. Alpnet will offer consultancy and project management services for the rollout of Chrystal's content management products across Europe and undertake system integration and development work as required. Chrystal's Lingua software will be used to complement Alpnet's own globalization and localisation management technology, Globelix, which maximises the quality and efficiency of multilingual processes while significantly reducing the time it takes to translate and manage all of a corporation's information. www.chrystal.com, www.alpnet.com

Aptech Launches Dynamic Content Management Solution
6/27/2001

Aptech Corporation introduces XDOCBASE, a dynamic content management solution that lets organizations use almost any device, including wireless tools, to quickly manage disparate content from virtually any source within their organization. Individuals can use many devices including cell phones and other wireless tools to access, receive, add, edit and then publish the content in whatever format and to whatever destination they choose, from PDF to printer, from word processing to Website to wireless devices. XDOCBASE is unique because it is device-independent. Moreover, XDOCBASE lets organizations use XML style sheets to manage virtually all types of unstructured content, including spreadsheets, PowerPoint files, word processing documents, video, multimedia and HTML files. www.Aptech.net

Interwoven Launches PortalReady SDK with 11 Partners
6/26/2001

Interwoven, Inc. announced the PortalReady SDK (Software Development Kit), a standards-based interface for rapidly integrating portal software with Interwoven's Content Infrastructure. Five "early adopter" portal vendors are announcing the integration of their portal infrastructure in parallel with the development of the Interwoven PortalReady SDK. Epicentric, IBM, iPlanet, Plumtree, and TIBCO will each be shipping portal products integrated with Interwoven's Content Infrastructure products in Q3. Art Technology Group (ATG), BEA Systems, Bowstreet, DataChannel, PeopleSoft, and Sybase have also indicated their intent to integrate their portal product lines with Interwoven Content Infrastructure through its PortalReady SDK. The PortalReady SDK is built on SOAP and XML and provides support to both .NET and J2EE for all portal environments. In addition, the PortalReady SDK includes a function-rich, customer-extensible framework designed to grow with evolving portal requirements and support enhancements to Content Infrastructure. Interwoven will also be providing certification support to portal partners employing the PortalReady SDK for integration, including certification criteria and reporting. The PortalReady SDK will be available in Q3. www.interwoven.com/portal

There will be a time when "content management" and "corporate portals" will be inseperable.

New IBM Start Now Solutions for Small & Medium Businesses Include Content Management
6/26/2001

IBM announced the new IBM Start Now Solutions for e-business, a family of offerings to help small and medium businesses (SMB) rapidly implement cost-effective, e-business solutions. The eight Start Now Solutions, including three Linux-based solutions, fulfill the requirements of e-business--from initial Internet access, through e-mail, research and information, Web site management, simple and complex e-commerce, business intelligence, integrated activities and new business opportunities. IBM Start Now Solutions for e-business include core solutions, which provide the platform needed to do business online; extensions, to move into the more sophisticated areas of business intelligence, collaboration and integration with host systems; and management solutions to optimize and secure a business' Web presence and data. IBM Start Now Content Management Solutions are a web-ready portfolio of integrated software for managing and distributing digital content, when, where, and how it is needed; and for delivering it to those who need it most. The Start Now Content Management Solutions are based on IBM Content Manager Entry Bundle V7 and Content Manager CommonStore for Domino V7. IBM Start Now Solutions are available immediately to Business Partners around the world. Suggested prices for Start Now Solutions start at $15,000 to $55,000. www.ibm.com/software/smb

If you can actually get a solution in this range it is a great price.

Kinecta Adds Three Partnerships
6/26/2001

Kinecta Corporation announced several new technology partnerships, which expand the company's presence worldwide. The new partnerships being announced are with Cast-Info of Spain, Empower InfoServices Pty Ltd. of Sydney, and DigitalML of Europe. Cast-Info is a Spanish systems integrator and software, hardware and communications value-added reseller representing Kinecta in Barcelona and Madrid. The company offers high-end solutions, services and tools for systems development, implementation and maintenance. They will be providing 24x7 support and training for Kinecta customers in Spain. DigitalML is a specialist services and outsourcing company dedicated to building and managing XML-powered Web sites in Europe, with a focus on content management solutions. DigitalML represents Kinecta in Europe to build in-house or outsourced content management solutions for customers, including applications in financial services, insurance, manufacturing, media and business-to-business e-commerce. Kinecta's Syndication Server infrastructure solution plays a key part in any solution that DigitalML builds where organizations need to share content with external organizations or individuals. Empower InfoServices Pty Ltd is a Sydney, Australia-based software solutions and services company that represents Kinecta in Asia Pacific. With specialization in content management and content distribution solutions, Empower offers a full range of services from Consulting, Design, Development, Implementation and Support. www.cast-info.es, www.digitalml.com, www.empowerinfoservices.com, www.kinecta.com

Context Media Unveils SMIL Authoring Application
6/26/2001

Context Media, Inc. announced the introduction of a Web authoring application called iBuilder. iBuilder makes it easy to access and use shared content in, multimedia Web presentations. iBuilder is a SMIL (Synchronous Multimedia Integration Language) authoring application that gives Web developers and authors the ability to synchronize video, text, animation and audio content and specify exactly when and how those elements are presented. SMIL presentations can be played by: RealPlayer 8 by RealNetworks; QuickTime 4.1 by Apple; the GRiNS player by Oratrix; and many others which are listed at the W3C SMIL Website. SMIL is an XML-based layout format that specifies the playback of any combination of multiple media types over the Internet. As a layout language, SMIL supports the presentation of a wide range of container file formats, audio, video, animation, images, and text. iBuilder is part of Context Media's Context Builder family of products. Also included in this product family is Context Builder for Dreamweaver, integrated directly with the Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 and Dreamweaver UltraDev 4 authoring tools. iBuilder will be available directly from Context Media in the third quarter at a SRP of $650.00. Those interested can register for iBuilder Early Access at www.ibuilder.html

Accumedia & Artesia Technologies Partner
6/25/2001

Artesia Technologies and Accumedia announced that Accumedia has adopted Artesia's TEAMS solution as an integral part of its Accumedia Convergence Platform (ACP) for the management and publishing of both enterprise and Web content. With the addition of TEAMS, the Accumedia Convergence Platform delivers a complete integration of site design, Web content management, digital asset management, content relevance and content delivery to offer customers an end-to-end solution for the management and distribution of rich media. The Accumedia Convergence Platform will now offer advanced editing, search and retrieval functionality across all media types through the use of TEAMS features such as link management, XML-based transformer, Clip Identifier and Play Decision List applications. The combined TEAMS/ACP's ability to ingest and edit the underlying XML-based metadata, as well as the asset itself, ensures that significant rights and permissions information governing content ownership can be embedded directly into an asset and easily integrated with a variety of approaches to digital rights management. This also allows organizations to easily extend access to these assets across business divisions and leverage their reuse throughout the enterprise. www.artesia.com, www.accumedia.com

Documentum & ViaFone Ally to Deliver Mobile Content
6/25/2001

ViaFone announced a strategic partnership with Documentum to provide an integrated mobile content and content management solution for Global 2000 organizations. Through this alliance, businesses taking advantage of the Documentum platform now can securely extend trusted enterprise content to any mobile device, including standard voice telephones -- delivering anytime, anywhere access for the mobile workforce to business-critical corporate documents and materials. The companies have partnered to provide integration and interoperability between Documentum 4i eBusiness Platform and ViaFone OneBridge. ViaFone OneBridge is a mobility platform specifically designed to integrate with existing backend databases and business applications to dynamically optimize mobile applications and content delivery to any wireless interface, including all data devices and through voice recognition. By taking advantage of ViaFone's mobile data and voice expertise, joint customers will have immediate access to the critical personalized content created and stored in their Documentum repositories. www.documentum.com, www.viafone.com

SAQQARA Announces ContentWorks 2.0 Transformation Manager
6/25/2001

ContentWorks Transformation Manager is an enterprise-class application that automates and simplifies the process of transforming product data from varied sources into a comprehensive product information asset for populating e-commerce enabled catalogs and sharing with e-business partners. ContentWorks Transformation Manager facilitates the quick and efficient transformation of product information into rich, product-differentiating content through a browser interface that supports: 1) creation and management of catalog taxonomies; 2) automated extraction of product data from information sources; 3) automated classification of products; and 4) automated cleansing, rationalization and enhancement of data to build rich product content. With product content transformed into an enterprise asset, it is easily shared with trading partners to populate their e-procurement or e-catalog applications such as SAQQARA Commerce Suite. SAQQARA ContentWorks 2.0 Transformation Manager is available immediately for Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 systems. www.saqqara.com

Infoteria Launches Asteria Platform for RosettaNet Trading Networks
6/25/2001

Infoteria Corporation announced the Asteria Platform for RosettaNet, an XML solution for RosettaNet supply-chain automation. The Asteria Platform is designed to accelerate and optimize the formation, expansion and management of secure RosettaNet trading networks to enable supply-chain partners of all sizes to benefit from automation of their commercial relationships. The Asteria Platform for RosettaNet consists of the Asteria Server, Asteria Planet and Asteria Components. Asteria Server delivers a complete solution for organizations looking to integrate their current operational systems, both front- and back-office, into the expanding trading community adopting RosettaNet standards. Asteria Planet offers trading partners of any size an affordable solution to connect a limited number of key trading partners. Asteria Components provide all the discrete tools necessary for specific projects in business process automation, including tools for efficient XML creation, adapters for traditional database systems and a utility to automate sending and receiving XML documents via Internet infrastructure. Enterprise engagements including Asteria Server for RosettaNet will start in the $200,000 range, and Asteria Planet for RosettaNet Basics starts at $20,000. The Asteria Server and Planet will be available in the third quarter of 2001; the Asteria Components are available and shipping now. www.infoteria.com

Documentum Releases Web Content Management Edition in French, German & Spanish
6/19/2001

Documentum announced the release of Documentum 4i Web Content Management Edition (WCM) localized for French, German and Spanish. These localized editions are based on the newly released WCM Edition 4.2 and include the new features for cross-team collaboration, workflow, tagging automation, multi-channel publishing, and administration. Documentum 4i WCM French Edition, Documentum 4i WCM German Edition and Documentum 4i WCM Spanish Edition are each comprised of several products from Documentum 4i eBusiness Platform bundled with prescribed training and maintenance. Products included are: Documentum WebPublisher for content authors, Documentum AutoRender for automated transformation of content into appropriate web formats, Documentum Site Delivery Services for efficient content delivery to Web sites consisting of Documentum WebCache, which provides high-speed access to repository-controlled content and metadata and Documentum ContentCaster which, pushes content to globally distributed Web servers for synchronized deployment. The package is offered at different levels to address varying degrees of deployment with prices starting at approximately $200,000. www.documentum.com

ContentGuard & Sandlot Form Alliance
6/19/2001

ContentGuard, Inc. and Sandlot Corporation announced a strategic alliance to offer content owners combined DRM and subscription management technology and services. The two companies will integrate ContentGuard's DRM technology and services, RightsEdge, with Sandlot's subscription management product, EclipseNet. The integrated solution will allow content owners to maximize revenue potential from their digital offerings via subscription-based business models. It will also enable content owners to manage the delivery and subscription process for digital content, including eBooks, music and video, just as effectively as they do for paper newspapers and magazines. ContentGuard's DRM solutions incorporate the eXtensible rights Markup Language (XrML), a universal method for specifying rights and conditions associated with the use and protection of digital content as part of the DRM process. This XrML component enables content owners and partners to adopt a broad range of business models and easily expand their digital content business as the market grows. www.contentguard.com, www.sandlot.com

Cyclone Commerce in Alliance With Interwoven
6/19/2001

Cyclone Commerce, Inc. announced an alliance with Interwoven to allow corporations and e-Marketplaces to securely aggregate and manage content from multiple business partners. Interwoven's TeamCatalog automates the management of catalog content and produces customizable "transaction-ready" electronic catalogs. Cyclone Interchange allows the rapid deployment of trading connections to suppliers, providers and exchanges, thereby increasing the breadth of trading networks. The joint solution allows business partners to securely exchange and aggregate content such as product descriptions, images and contracts without having to breach their firewalls. Cyclone Interchange supports all major data types, communication protocols, and platforms and offers document-level security, which provides confirmation that files are in fact received and are not tampered with en route. www.cyclonecommerce.com

Information Architects Releases SmartCode
6/19/2001

Information Architects announced the availability of SmartCode 4.0, their Java/RDF application development platform. SmartCode 4.0's graphical interface allows both traditional developers and non-programmers to rapidly assemble metadata-based Java applications that create, manage, merge, and re-purpose content without requiring the re-coding and consumption of other related resources typically associated with content exchange and transformation technology. SmartCode 4.0 is designed to provide easy and flexible access to existing and future data and applications. Applications built using SmartCode 4.0 employ a clean separation between content and presentation, allowing both to be manipulated independently. SmartCode sits between the data and users, providing a Web-based view of internal and external content. In this model, the content remains in its original location and format while users dynamically access it via the Web or a company's Intranet. In particular, the release of SmartCode 4.0 reduces the learning curve for software developers and enables enterprises to migrate their existing infrastructure to Java, XML, and RDF. Information Architect's SmartCode 4.0 includes the NetBeans-compatible Java and RDF interactive visual development environment (a library of data and metadata capture-, access- and transformation-components), the Dynamic Syndication Server and the resource-tracking Watcher Framework. SmartCode 4.0 represents Internet applications as metadata "frameworks", thus making it possible to easily reuse functional components anywhere in the metadata context. SmartCode 4.0 further provides support for application modeling and data modeling capabilities based on RDF as well as SOAP. These capabilities provide support for interactive construction of enterprise applications. The 4.0 release also includes tools for building XML views of legacy data based on the XML, XSLT and XPath specifications. www.ia.com

Percussion Upgrades Rhythmyx
6/18/2001

Percussion Software announced the release of Rhythmyx Content Manager version 3.5. This upgrade of Percussion's XML-based content management system includes a significant new feature - the Content Editor Engine - which reduces content development time from days to hours. Rhythmyx v3.5 also offers a completely revised Publisher Engine, enabling companies to centrally manage all publishing activities, whether remote or local. Rhythmyx Content Manager v3.5 is available immediately and will be offered in a 30-day product evaluation kit that enables potential customers to trial the whole product with full technical support. The 3.5 evaluation kit is available on a CD that can be installed in production mode with a sample Web site already under management. Percussion Rhythmyx Content Manager V3.5 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, www.wellstream.net

Liaison Launches Liaison Content Hub
6/18/2001

Liaison Technology announced the release of Liaison Content Hub, software that automates the production and management of electronic catalog content. Liaison Content Hub 1.0 provides the infrastructure for manufacturers, distributors and trading exchanges to manage the complex process of developing and managing commerce-ready content. Liaison Content Hub delivers streamlined workflow and process automation capabilities to decrease catalog management costs. Liaison Content Hub 1.0 is the third product based on Liaison's Catalog Content for Collaborative Commerce (C4) Architecture. Announced in March, the C4 Architecture defines how enterprises increase revenue through the automation and management of electronic catalog content. It serves as the foundation for Liaison's integrated, scalable solutions for aggregating, managing and syndicating catalog content for e-commerce platforms. In March, the company launched Liaison Content Exchange 3.0, which aggregates data from disparate sources, and Liaison Content Syndicator 1.0, which customizes the content for delivery to e-commerce platforms. Liaison Content Hub 1.0 is now available directly from Liaison and its partners. The software is licensed on a perpetual or an annual basis including professional services and support. www.liaison.com

Vignette Announces Merchant Suite
6/18/2001

Vignette Corp. announced immediate availability of the Vignette Merchant Suite, a new packaged application designed to help companies drive sales, strengthen customer relationships and enhance profitability by offering, multichannel online purchasing experiences. Jointly developed with PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Vignette Merchant Suite combines content, integration and analysis with the transaction processing technology of application servers supporting Java2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE). The result is a packaged business application that combines content management and transaction processing as core capabilities. The Vignette Merchant Suite is designed to allow companies to efficiently manage any content asset alongside their product catalog to ensure that all information is accurate, relevant, organized and engaging. In addition, it helps deliver a personalized sales and service experience that will help increase sales, customer loyalty and profitability. Vignette Merchant Suite provides: Product catalog management, Merchandising management, Customer analysis and targeting, Out-of-the-box sample storefront, and Collaborative enterprise integration. The Vignette Merchant Suite is based on J2EE, XML and LDAP. The Vignette Merchant Suite is currently available and shipping to customers. www.vignette.com

BroadVision Announces Updates to Business Commerce & MarketMaker
6/18/2001

BroadVision, Inc. announced the availability of BroadVision Business Commerce 6.0 and BroadVision MarketMaker 6.0. Both BroadVision Business Commerce 6.0 and BroadVision MarketMaker 6.0 take advantage of the J2EE features of One-To-One Enterprise 6.0 and are built using JavaServer Pages (JSP). The products provide a variety of pre-built JSP templates and workflows. BroadVision Business Commerce 6.0 and BroadVision MarketMaker 6.0 support wireless and call center technologies. Wireless capabilities allow end-users to access BroadVision-based B2B commerce sites through a variety of mobile phones and wireless devices. Collaboration capabilities and call center integration features allow data to be shared between the call center and online site, providing a 360-degree view of customers and business partners. BroadVision Business Commerce 6.0 and BroadVision MarketMaker 6.0 provide enhanced system-to-system connectivity features that allow information exchange across a wide variety of trading networks. The BroadVision trading connector and BroadVision B2B Gateway (built in partnership with webMethods) offer the "roundtrip" and "punchout" features that allow buyers on other trading networks to seamlessly access content and route transaction information between buyers and suppliers. BroadVision's B2B commerce applications allow XML-based communication with other systems through industry standards such as OAG, RosettaNet, EDI, OBI and other XML applications. www.broadvision.com

Antarcti.ca Announces Visual Net Enterprise
6/18/2001

Antarcti.ca Systems Inc. (ASI) announced the availability of Visual Net Enterprise (VNE). Visual Net Enterprise gives users an intuitive, efficient, and graphical "search and discovery" tool to organize, browse, and view large amounts of data in multiple databases and media formats. Visual Net Enterprise transforms enterprise information into large-scale data maps, and provides a navigation interface featuring context-rich visuals. VNE uses Antarcti.ca's visual mapping technology to show relevant and related data as defined by the customer. Visual mapping of data enables users to go from merely searching for information to strategizing and organizing data. Users browse through categories of data laid out on a map to quickly understand the types of data available to them. At the same time, they get information about the most relevant data in a visual representation. This enables users to quickly see all pertinent data and determine what information best serves their needs. Visual Net offers: Navigation across multiple data sources in a variety of formats; Internationalized language capability; A customizable data display; Scalability; and Easy updating. Visual Net takes all category/object attributes, and supplements this data with metadata collected by ASI's robot module. Based on all these attributes, the backend subsystem gives each category/object pairing a graphic representation and a unique X and Z location on a two-dimensional map. Visual Net can be utilized in a wide range of applications such as research libraries, corporate Intranets, eCommerce and retail cataloging. Visual Net is offered as a standalone application or as part of custom applications provided directly or through ASI's partner channel. Visual Net Enterprise and Visual Net for Libraries, launched April 2001, are available immediately. Pricing varies based on application. www.antarcti.ca

A2i Announces Applications & Application-Based Search          
6/14/2001

A2i Inc. announced that its xCat electronic catalog system now supports product applications. Application-based search provides yet another way to locate products within a large catalog, so that in addition to drill-down search by manufacturer, category, attributes, keyword, and other traditional criteria, a user can also search for products by their application. Applications are especially important in industries where application-driven product selection is the traditional way to locate products within a large catalog of complex product information. For example, in the automotive parts business, customers typically select parts based not on the category or manufacturer but rather on the particular year, make, model and engine type of the vehicle. There are millions of parts, tens of thousands of different vehicles, and since each part can be used in more than one vehicle, tens of millions of applications. The A2i xCat system features a data model for product applications that: (1) eliminates the duplication of both product data and application data typical of previous systems; (2) efficiently enforces validation against the table of valid applications; and (3) is more efficient for storage and searching. In addition to applications and application-based search, xCat also supports the ability to add rich product content -- such as pictures, diagrams, specifications, repair information and text -- not only to the parts themselves but also to the vehicles and applications. www.a2i.com

Mozquito Launches FML for Allaire’s HomeSite
6/13/2001

Mozquito Technologies launched a product that will put the power of eXtensibilty into Allaire's HomeSite. Mozquito FML for HomeSite is made up of two components: the Mozquito Matrix and the Mozquito XHTML-FML component for HomeSite. XHTML-FML, or Forms Markup Language, is an XML-based language created by Mozquito Technologies, which simplifies creation of interactive online applications for retail, surveys, and other uses by eliminating the use of applets and scripting. Mozquito FML for Homesite enhances Allaire's editor by running the user's work through the Mozquito Matrix, transforming XHTML-FML tags into HTML and JavaScript that will run regardless of platform or browser. The XHTML-FML tags allow the developer to perform various tasks easily, such as toggling, calculations, and input validation. These 20 new tags also give the developer a functionality that they could only otherwise get with a great deal of complex JavaScript code. Mozquito Technologies is also working on FML for ColdFusion Studio and JRun Studio. The beta versions will be available online June 25. Mozquito FML for HomeSite retails for Euro/$69 plus sales tax. It is available in the U.S., Canada, South America and the Middle East from Lifeboat Distribution, as well as Mozquito Technologies' resellers worldwide. Users may also download the program from www.mozquito.com.

IBM & SAP Portals Inc. to Provide WebSphere Portal Server
6/13/2001

IBM today announced an agreement with SAP Portals, Inc., to enable customers to integrate enterprise business applications from SAP, PeopleSoft Inc., Baan, Oracle Financials and others into portal solutions deployed using IBM's WebSphere Portal Server. As part of the agreement, IBM will have the ability to resell and distribute SAP Portals iViews, which provide users access to the key enterprise business applications. The two companies also said that under the terms of the agreement, SAP Portals will provide a Java 2 Enterprise Edition version of its iViewServer that IBM will license and include in the IBM WebSphere Portal Server. The WebSphere Portal Server enhancements and the SAP Portals iViews that support integrated access to business applications from SAP, Baan, PeopleSoft, Oracle Financials and others will be available in the fourth quarter of 2001. www.ibm.com/software/webservers/portal, www.sapportals.com

XML.org Adds Detailed Listings for 400+ XML Specifications
6/13/2001

OASIS announced that its recently expanded XML.org industry portal has been enhanced to include an online, categorized listing of the ZapThink XML Standards Report and Analysis. This new data features key details about more than 400 XML specifications from 300 organizations worldwide. XML.ORG offers detailed summaries from ZapThink's quarterly Standards Reports. Developers who require an in-depth analysis of a particular specification are able to purchase the full report through ZapThink. http://xml.org, www.zapthink.com, www.oasis-open.org

The number of XML-based standards is often used as a criticism of XML. But this is backwards. As we point out in our main article, a universal set of semantics is impossible. A common syntax com-bined with an organized set of semantic standards is a great step forward. More important than the number of standards is which standards are useful.

Interwoven Announces TeamXML & OpenSyndicate
6/12/2001

Interwoven, Inc. announced the release of TeamXML software, its XML repository, and Interwoven OpenSyndicate, the latest addition to its content distribution product suite. TeamXML allows customers to migrate individual Web assets, or even components of assets, to XML as circumstances dictate. This managed adoption maximizes upfront benefits and minimizes upfront costs. TeamXML offers a discovery model based on parametric search that provides ease-of-access to reusable content components. With the introduction of TeamXML, customers can now store all XML content natively. This important attribute boosts performance and increases scalability. Key product attributes of OpenSyndicate include: Content Packages -- Controlled assembly of Web assets based on intelligent business rules; Targeted Delivery -- Audience profiling for precise targeting, irrespective of format; and Secure Distribution -- Guaranteed content delivery with a comprehensive audit trail. With easy-to-use subscriber management and group profiling, non-technical contributors can match content packages with target constituencies, whether it’s XML, PDF, WAP or any other output format. OpenSyndicate supports the two primary models for syndication required by global enterprises: Standard Syndication -- delivery based on open-standards distribution protocols, and Email-Based Syndication -- delivery based on an email-based subscriber model. In both cases, business managers are able to make decisions about when, how, and in what format content is syndicated. Interwoven OpenSyndicate software works in conjunction with Interwoven TeamSite software and TeamXML software. www.interwoven.com

Cardonet Ships Version 3.0 of E-Catalog Management Software
6/12/2001

Cardonet, Inc. introduced version 3.0 of its e-catalog automation platform. The new software release provides greater flexibility and control over catalog data transformations and features a new automated product classification system that both speeds and simplifies the set-up of online catalogs. Version 3.0 is entirely web-enabled and supports content in any language. The most significant new features include: Auto-classification functionality that generates rules and recommended mappings for products and product categories between source and target taxonomies. System or user-generated keywords, find utilities, and a built-in map for UNSPSC categories and codes help to automate the traditionally time-consuming manual process. Catalog data from multiple sources is more efficiently converted into a single browsing structure organized for the most efficient buyer discovery process, and the classification of custom catalogs based on customer or channel preferences is streamlined. Integration of category-level attributes with Cardonet's rules-driven transformation engine for the cleansing, normalization, and validation of product information. Users can apply unique rules and set default values for any attribute at any level within the catalog structure (taxonomy), enabling the same attribute to be handled differently for different categories or individual products. Other 3.0 features include web-enabled access of all major functions in the Cardonet e-catalog automation platform. The web access is supported by enhanced authorization and authentication capabilities. In addition, all catalog data is now handled as double-byte characters, allowing Cardonet to support catalog content in any language. The 3.0 release of Cardonet's catalog automation platform is available immediately. Software prices vary depending on the specific configurations of the Catalog Manager and Channel Manager. www.cardonet.com

Open Market Updates Catalog & Marketing Solutions            
6/12/2001

Open Market, Inc. released Catalog Centre 3.5 and Marketing Studio 3.5. Both solutions are intended to provide solutions for companies whose e-business requires the management and delivery of specialized content for successful and productive site visitor experiences. Both new releases debut support for IBM WebSphere 3.5 and iPlanet Application Server 6. Open Market's Catalog Centre creates easy-to-update, highly navigable content catalogs. Core to the Catalog Centre architecture is the ability to manage and present content in customizable hierarchies. Marketing Studio 3.5 is designed to enable non-technical business managers to collect data about site visitors and store it for analysis and use in developing marketing campaigns including promotions, up-sells, cross-sells, and content recommendations. Using Marketing Studio, business managers can group site visitors into meaningful segments and recommend products and other relevant content-based segment membership. The new Marketing Studio release also introduces the Analysis Connector, which enables Open Market's Content Server 3.5 to deliver information to any reporting or analysis tool. Analysis Connector can be customized to work with third-party analysis tools, such as data analysis engines, to draw conclusions from information gathered from Web site visitors. Analysis Connector collects and stores data such as clickstream data, visitor demographics, content views, cart item information, abandoned cart information, and orders and can be customized to collect other kinds of site data. Catalog Centre 3.5 and Marketing Studio 3.5 are built on top of the WebLogic 5.1, IBM Websphere 3.5 and iPlanet Application Server 6. Catalog Centre 3.5, Marketing Studio 3.5, and Analysis Connector 3.5 are available for immediate download and on CD-ROM. www.openmarket.com

NQL Releases Component Offering
6/12/2001

NQL Inc. announced the release of NQL Components, offering application developers access to the advanced capabilities of NQL's Network Query Language core technology through a collection of individual building blocks, which can be used within other programming languages or environments. NQL Components are packaged as both ActiveX and COM components and can enhance applications built in virtually any language, including VB, ASP, C++, MS Office, VB Script and many other environments. The NQL Components released today are priced at $99 each. NQL plans to release more components over the next few quarters with pricing to be determined as those components are released. The NQL Components now available include: NQL Crawl, which crawls web sites; NQL Export, which allows automatic insertion of text, tables and images within MS Office documents; NQL Mail, which sends and receives email programmatically; NQL Neural, which makes it possible to create, train and run neural networks; NQL News, which reads messages from newsgroups and discussion boards; NQL Terminal, which connects to and captures responses from terminal- based systems such as UNIX server, minicomputers and legacy systems; and NQL Web, which retrieves web pages and web page headers. NQL Components are royalty-free once licensed, and come with sample VB and ASP programs. For a free, 30-day evaluation visit www.nqli.com/components/

Lightspeed Unveils XML Web Content Management Solution
6/12/2001

Lightspeed Interactive, Inc. unveiled Lightspeed LiveSite, an XML Web content management application that allows non-technical content authors to add, delete and edit their Web site in real time. Lightspeed LiveSite is a flexible, scalable product that enables users to dynamically share and reuse information via a Web browser. LiveSite provides multiple authors the freedom to contribute directly to the final product and the ability to share vital information with other users throughout the enterprise. LiveSite's XML-based structure offers templates for administering content preferences, business rules, and controlled user access. This gives authorized content managers the ability to keep up with digital growth while freeing up IT resources. The combination of Lightspeed's iENGINE platform and the LiveSite product enhances the company's overall enterprise content management solution. www.lspeed.com

Mediasurface joins ATG’s Alliance Program
6/11/2001

Mediasurface has entered into an alliance with ATG. Mediasurface will integrate its content management software with the ATG Dynamo e-Business Platform in order to support its strategy of serving the media and entertainment vertical markets. Mediasurface’s solution is designed to address the growing demand for advanced content management software by offering seamless integration with the ATG Dynamo e-Business Platform. Mediasurface’s application is scalable and incorporates open-architecture Internet technologies including Java and XML. www.mediasurface.com, www.atg.com

empolis announces release of k42 version 1.1
6/11/2001

empolis announced the release of empolis k42 version 1.1, its knowledge server that is fully compliant with the TopicMaps standard. A free evaluation is available at http://k42.empolis.co.uk. k42, v1.1 provides a richer set of functionality to enable organizations to embrace TopicMaps. k42 is written in Java, and has a comprehensive API. Its Jini and RMI support means that k42 is well suited to a distributed environment and can be deployed on an enterprise scale. The inference engine allows for the deduction of implicit knowledge and the built in templating mechanism provides guided editing. Web Author, the web interface with which users can edit and maintain the TopicMap in real time, has been completely remodeled, based on our ever growing experience and the feedback from our user base. The new interface will also allow users to define properties for Topic constructs. Furthermore Web Author 1.1 implements the important concept of reification. TMV (TopicMap View) is an out of the box feature for ‘browsing’ your TopicMap. Requiring no configuration, you can import a TopicMap and be browsing it in seconds. Utilizing XSL, it is easy for users to customize this view without having to write any code – they can simply write a new style-sheet. TMV also provides both an interface for querying your TopicMap, utilizing TMQL (TopicMap Query Language) as well as allowing users to navigate the map based on Scope. k42 is now also available with Star Tree from Inxight providing a powerful visualization tool for your TopicMap. k42 allows users to import and export standards compliant TopicMaps through a simple web interface. This interface also supports multiple encodings, including UTF-16 and ZIP. In addition to the extended API, developers have access to documentation, including API code examples and tutorials. www.empolis.com

IONA & DataChannel in Global Alliance
6/6/2001

IONA announced a global alliance with DataChannel Inc. under which the two companies have agreed to engage in joint sales activities. Under the terms of the agreement, DataChannel will integrate its product, DataChannel Server, (DCS) with IONA's iPortal Application Server 3.0. DataChannel's enterprise portal platform supports iPortal Application Server 3.0 today, and will deploy on iPortal Application Server in future releases. In addition, IONA announced that it has signed a reselling relationship with DataChannel. As part of the alliance, IONA will resell DataChannel technology, extending the reach of its e-Business Platform for Total Business integration. www.datachannel.com, www.iona.com

Pageflex Develops New Editor in a Browser
6/5/2001

Pageflex, Inc., announced a preview of .EDIT, a browser-based technology for design and editing of rich documents with full-featured typography and layout, using nothing more than a Web browser and an Internet connection. .EDIT allows a company to provide an Internet-based page layout tool to its end users without requiring the use of any plug-ins. A company deploying .EDIT can create templates that allow it to maintain its brand/corporate identity by using approved fonts, design elements, and images. Users can count on the final output matching the screen, since both use the same underlying composition engine and fonts. .EDIT is also customizable to allow companies to choose the set of features accessible by the end user. Applications of this technology might include sales & marketing literature, flyers, display advertisements, business cards, and restaurant menus. www.pageflexinc.com

SDL Announces SDLWebFlow 3.0
6/5/2001

SDL International announced availability of SDLWebFlow 3.0. Their multilingual content management system now offers real-time translation capability, content transfer API with automatic change detection and notification, increased throughput and multi-threaded security features. SDLWebFlow 3.0 offers an optional integration with SDL International's Enterprise Translation Server that enables translations in real-time. Real-time translation provides a "gisted" draft-quality translation for obtaining a general understanding of foreign language text. The cost savings realized with real-time translation allows SDLWebFlow 3.0 to support multilingual applications such as corporate intranets, extranets and portals. The Content Transfer API (CTA) included with SDLWebFlow 3.0 automatically detects any changes in both static and dynamic site content and alerts the designated site administrator via e-mail enabling the administrator to initiate a workflow job. This process is readily integrated with any content management system. An advanced security program manages the SDLWebFlow 3.0 content over HTTPS in encrypted XML request-response pairs, all transactions being initiated from within the content-server's firewall. www.sdlintl.com

Open Market Releases New Versions Content Server & Content Centre
6/4/2001

Open Market, Inc. released Content Server 3.6 and Content Centre 3.6 providing integration with additional operating system platforms, language support, and search capabilities. Content Server and Content Centre, both pure J2EE technologies, are key components of Open Market's product family, Content Server Enterprise Edition. Content Server 3.6 introduces support for two new operating system platforms, IBM AIX and Microsoft Windows 2000. In addition, there are new capabilities in the area of internationalization with certification for most European languages as well as Japanese, Chinese and the UTF-8 character set. And Content Server now offers optional imbedding of the Alta Vista search engine V3.0 and the Verity Connector for customers who have installations of the Verity Information Server. Content Centre 3.6 is the CSEE browser-based application that enables non-technical business managers to create, manage, manipulate, and deliver content to numerous targets, including Web sites, PDAs, cell phones, and other wireless devices. It also provides out of box, automated workflow and version control. Improvements in this version include a new rendering model for dynamic sites which encourages site designers to take full advantage of the disk caching options; a new sample site that serves as a blueprint for all aspects of site design; Java Server Page support which allows developers to code page elements with either XML or JSP; and a Share Assets option that allows site operators to re-use content assets across multiple sites and other delivery devices. The Content Server 3.6 and Content Centre 3.6 are available now on the electronic distribution site and CD-ROM. The pricing is unchanged from previous versions. www.openmarket.com

Gauss & Cybelius Software Announce Technology Partnership
6/4/2001

Gauss and Cybelius Software announced a technology partnership to integrate the Gauss VIP enterprise content management platform with the Cybelius Conductor Immersive Advanced Runtime Platform. The partnership enables joint customers to extend Web content management capabilities to support configurable -- and immersive -- 3D product models for B2B and consumer facing Websites. With Conductor, database-driven models allow an unlimited number of product configurations. Additionally, easy updating and reuse of parts of the 3D models and interactivities make it easy to reflect product line upgrades and model changes, even when there are thousands of products involved. Conductor also can link the 3D models to online product catalogs and other enterprise systems. Using VIP in conjunction with the Cybelius platform, joint customers can manage thousands of 3D model images originating from multiple sources, so enterprises can provide configurable 3D model images for any number of products via their Web-based offerings. Gauss and Cybelius will target both B2B and B2C companies from a wide range of market segments, including transportation, manufacturing, financial services, retail, telecom and high-technology industries. www.gaussinterprise.com, www.cybelius.com

IntraNet Solutions Announces Release of Xpedio 5.0
6/4/2001

IntraNet Solutions, Inc. announced the release of Xpedio 5.0, an enhanced version of its Xpedio Content Management system. Xpedio 5.0 includes enhancements to the system's enterprise development tools, globalization features, enterprise platform support, and contribution and conversion capabilities. 5.0's workflow enhancements provide support for managing enterprise-level source content and Web site productions, including a Visio graphical development interface that allows users to graphically design workflows. Users are also able to trigger the execution of external applications from within the workflow process. Version 5.0 includes a Java Server Pages (JSP) server. The new product also integrates with Dreamweaver. Globalization features include a localization kit, which enables the company and selected partners to produce versions of Xpedio in different languages. IntraNet Solutions will be releasing French and German versions of Xpedio, and Japanese, Korean and Portuguese versions are being produced for IntraNet Solutions by its partners. Version 5.0 incorporates a WebDAV server. 5.0 includes enhanced XML conversion that automatically converts content to XML when it is checked into Xpedio. The product also supports the automatic conversion and management of additional new file formats, including cHTML, the format for NTT DoCoMo's i-Mode service in Japan. Xpedio 5.0 also includes a new module, that tracks content usage within an organization and generates reports based on metadata and user profiles. Xpedio 5.0 will begin shipping on June 22, 2001 and is priced at $100,000 to $250,000 USD. Xpedio Content Tracker will be sold as an optional module and is priced at $25,000 USD. www.intranetsolutions.com

BEA Announces WebLogic Portal 4.0
6/4/2001

BEA Systems, Inc. announced BEA WebLogic Portal 4.0, based on BEA WebLogic Server. BEA WebLogic Portal 4.0 will incorporate BEA WebLogic Personalization Server, which currently ships with BEA Portal Framework. In addition, BEA WebLogic Portal 4.0 will include new portal technologies, user tools and partner applications to more easily and cost-effectively deploy e-business portals for employees, customers, partners and suppliers. BEA WebLogic Portal will include four critical technologies: personalization, portal framework, presentation, and integration. BEA WebLogic Portal will be delivered as an integrated solution with tools for business users to personalize users' online experiences, and for IT organizations to enable enterprise-wide standards, security and administration. BEA WebLogic Portal can rapidly scale to thousands of concurrent users and transactions, and can be adapted to manage multiple portal initiatives. BEA also announced the Star Portal Solution, an expansion of BEA's Star Partner Program. Partners include: Autonomy, ScreamingMedia, Documentum, Interwoven, Vignette, Caput.com, Compoze Software, Netegrity, and Securant. Autonomy, Documentum, Interwoven and ScreamingMedia will be bundled in the partner pack that ships with WebLogic Personalization Server 3.5 and will ship with WebLogic Portal 4.0. WebLogic Portal 4.0 will be available in fall 2001. Businesses can begin deploying portals now using BEA Portal Framework, included in current versions of BEA WebLogic Personalization Server and BEA WebLogic Commerce Server. All BEA WebLogic products can be downloaded from www.bea.com

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