ExecuTrain announced that they have joined forces to offer ExecuTrain customers a platform-independent library of on-line content for information technology. Under the agreement, Element K will acquire ExecuTrain’s existing content library and license it on an exclusive basis to ExecuTrain. Element K will create a fully-hosted XML database that will allow ExecuTrain to vastly expand its library of standard and customizable training courses. ExecuTrain instructional designers and editors will adopt Element K’s XML editing tools with on-line access in order to fully leverage the capabilities of Element K’s database of XML learning objects. ExecuTrain will also introduce ExecuTrain University, an on-line university hosted by Element K, which will offer over 400 self-paced and instructor-assisted on-line courses. These on-line learning offerings will be complementary and consistent with ExecuTrain’s classroom-based courses. ExecuTrain can now combine multiple delivery methods, based on the same content and learning methodology, to provide customized learning solutions. With Element K’s proprietary content, ExecuTrain will significantly increase the number of technical courses it offers to IS professionals in areas such as programming, network administration, and Internet technology. The combination of Element K’s content library with ExecuTrain’s assessment technology, on-line university and instructor-led services, enables ExecuTrain to offer a fully-blended technical curriculum to its clients. www.elementk.com, www.executrain.com

Bowstreet announced the immediate, commercial availability of its XML platform, the Bowstreet Business Web Factory 2. The Business Web Factory 2 is an XML platform that enables on-the-fly assembly and mass-customization of any and all XML-based web services, including those compatible with software from Microsoft, Sun, IBM, Hewlett-Packard and others to build dynamic B2B marketplaces. Bowstreet also announced the Business Web Exchange, online June 26, that will work in tandem with the Business Web Factory to usher in the third generation of e-business – interconnected business webs built upon thousands of web services. Bowstreet’s Business Web Factory and Business Web Exchange let non-technical businesspeople create and customize an unlimited number and variety of online business relationships simply by pointing and clicking. Available today through Bowstreet’s direct sales force and selected system integrators, the Bowstreet Business Web Factory 2 supports unlimited concurrent users and runs on Windows, Linux and Solaris platforms. Average deployments start at $250,000. Bowstreet also began offering a free version of the Business Web Factory to encourage companies to gain experience with creating and publishing web services. The free version is downloadable via the Business Web Exchange to qualified business and software professionals. In addition to integrating support for SOAP, the Business Web Factory also supports many XML schema definition languages, such as Microsoft’s XML-Data Reduced (XDR), the preferred syntax for Microsoft’s BizTalk framework, and the W3C’s XML schema definition language. The Business Web Factory supports emerging XML schema definition languages and all schemas written in those definition languages, including the Directory Services Markup Language (DSML) 1.0 specification, RosettaNet and future Wireless Markup Language (WML) standards. www.bowstreet.com

Aris Software Inc. announced Noetix Mobile Query, a mobile telephone extension to its XML reporting product, Noetix Web Query. Noetix Web Query users can now run and build ad hoc queries from an Internet computer or mobile telephone with a mini-browser. Both Noetix Web Query and Noetix Mobile Query are available today. Noetix Web Query is a solution that enables people to run and view live reports over the Internet, with no client requirements except a browser or mobile phone. At the heart of Noetix Web Query is the ability to retrieve and manage data from multiple, disparate databases, allowing for enterprise-wide data access. Noetix Web Query uses XML-powered ad hoc database queries to deliver real-time data access. Noetix Web Query has been shipping since January. Noetix Mobile Query uses mini-browser technology and services from Phone.com. Visit www.noetix.com and follow the links for complete instructions on how to build and run a query from your phone. www.noetix.com

Microsoft Corp. unveiled the vision and road map for its next generation of software and services, the Microsoft .NET platform. Microsoft .NET (pronounced “dot-net”) will provide easier, more personalized and more productive Internet experiences by harnessing constellations of smart devices and Web sites with advanced software through Internet protocols and formats. This new family of Microsoft .NET products and technologies replaces the previous working title of Next Generation Windows Services (NGWS) and includes software for developers to build next-generation Internet experiences as well as power smart Internet devices. Microsoft also announced plans for new products built on the .NET platform, including new generations of Windows, Windows DNA servers, Microsoft Office, the MSN network of Internet services and the Visual Studio development system. .NET will give users a more productive and purposeful experience through greater user control over personal information and preferences, new user interface technologies, a new breed of smart Internet devices, and the ability to harness multiple devices and services toward a common goal. .NET facilitates the continuous delivery of software to customers via a distributed computing model for the Internet that uniquely exploits the abundance of both computing and communications. .NET is based on Internet protocols and standards for interactions between devices and services, and in particular relies on XML. Bill Gates announced the new .NET platform, consisting of the following technologies: .NET User Experience. A new set of technologies for building next- generation user experiences, including the new Universal Canvas XML- based compound information architecture, natural user interface, integral digital media support, privacy-enabling technologies for management and control of personal information, and the new Dynamic Delivery system for secure and seamless installation, updates, roaming and offline operation. Visual Studio 7.0 will provide comprehensive support for XML-based Web service development, including developers who use Visual Basic. The new BizTalk Orchestration tool simplifies business process integration over the Internet. The .NET Infrastructure and Tools build off the XML-enabled family of Windows DNA 2000 servers. .NET Building Block Services. A new family of highly distributed, programmable developer services that run across standalone machines, in corporate data centers and across the Internet. And .NET Device Software. An array of software to power smart Internet-connected devices that can take maximum advantage of the .NET platform and fully participate in next-generation user experiences. This software will XML-enable any device, support intelligent interaction with the network and .NET services and serve as a foundation to bring .NET User Experience technologies to non-PC devices such as Pocket PCs, set-top boxes, cellular phones and game consoles. www.microsoft.com

Intalio, Inc. announced Intalio n3, an XML based Business Process Management System (BPMS) for modeling, deploying and managing complex business processes that span multiple enterprise applications, corporate departments, and business partners behind the firewall and over the Internet. This enterprise software infrastructure will help customers achieve greater levels of efficiency, create additional revenue opportunities, and enter new markets. Scheduled to ship in Q4, the first beta version of Intalio n3 will support XML-based business-to-business collaboration protocols like RosettaNet and BizTalk, manage real-time distributed transactions, and offer connectors to leading databases and packaged enterprise applications. Intalio n3 will allow companies to embrace eBusiness opportunities by integrating, automating and managing business processes including corporate procurement, demand-chain/supply-chain integration and enterprise relationship management. Intalio n3 will enable business analysts and software developers to collaborate throughout the life cycle of business processes, from modeling through deployment and management. Intalio n3 will provide a productive environment and manageable platform allowing business processes to evolve over time, without any disruption in the operating business or major modification of existing IT infrastructures. www.intalio.com

Starbase Corp. announced it has acquired Genitor Corp.; a privately-held company located in Ann Arbor, Mich. Genitor is a provider of advanced development tools for the documentation of Web applications, workgroup collaboration, rapid object development and re-engineering. The Genitor acquisition provides a technology that will accelerate Starbase’s XML-based product development. Starbase will integrate Genitor’s technology and products into Starbase’s family of eBusiness application development products. Genitor’s core technology analyzes critical Web application code and content to provide a higher level of detail and analysis than is possible with more traditional tools. Genitor’s technology will become an integral part of Starbase’s XML technology foundation. In addition, Genitor’s original products, Surveyor and Object Construction Suite, will be incorporated into the StarTeam family. www.starbase.com

France Telecom launched another startup led by group employees. Wokuup!, is a new startup that began at France Telecom R&D labs. The venture will market a unique multi-access server technology that enables dynamic publication of content on the Internet and other platforms (wireless handsets, personal digital assistants and TV, for example). Wokup! expects to see tremendous demand for this technology given continued booming growth in web-based services, coupled with the advent of Internet access via WAP handsets and PDAs. Wokup! is targeting its technology at web content providers, content aggregators, portals, hosting services providers, ISPs and telecom operators. Wokup! currently counts a team of 30 specialists in multi-access Internet content, with a strong focus on wireless Internet. Initial funding of the venture raised 30 million francs, with Galileo Partners, Guillemot Ventures and France Telecom’s Innovacom venture capital unit each taking equal shares. Other investors include business angels Marc Lassus, co-founder of Gemplus, and American Hubert Zimmermann, creator of Chorus Systems. The funds will be used to support international development with the creation of an export team and recruitment of local representatives to cover key markets. Wokup! Server is a multi-access server used to publish content on the Internet or other platforms. It dynamically recovers content from an existing website or database and translates it into another format without modifying the source site. Based on XML Wokup! it contains a navigation component for easy publishing of different content tailored to the type of access device. www.francetelecom.com