VCIX introduced its Cortra Site Studio software to the web development market. Cortra Site Studio has been designed from the ground up using object-oriented architecture to meet the challenges of complex content aggregation, syndication and publishing on the web. Using Cortra Site Studio’s extensible object-oriented technology and its reusable component architecture, web development firms can more easily create customized solutions addressing their specific customer needs without the need to create new applications. Its intuitive, easy-to-use interface enables non-technical staff to control all aspects of a web site’s content management, without the need for programmers or skilled technicians. A wide range of objects including text, images and streaming media, can be easily published, archived, scheduled, and managed, producing a dynamic, robust and scalable site that is easy to maintain and adapt to changing business requirements. Because of these factors, Cortra lowers the cost of site creation and ownership for organizations building or redesigning their web presence. The Cortra software includes built-in support for XML and a standards-based object-oriented API. Cortra also allows users of Microsoft Visio 2000 to import UML (Unified Modeling Language) models of business processes and to automatically generate code for transforming those processes to the Web. VCIX, formerly known as Virtual Communities Inc., recently announced that it plans to exit the business of publishing community sites in order to concentrate exclusively on the development and marketing of the Cortra technology. www.vcix.com

The news industry’s technical standards body has formally ratified v1.0 of its NewsML and announced that it is ready for production use. At its Autumn Meeting in Amsterdam there was unanimous acceptance amongst the membership that the NewsML v1.0 DTD be formally released having completed a period of beta testing. An updated DTD, functional specification and accompanying examples are now available and a number of members – Agence France-Presse, BusinessWire, Press Association, Reuters, ScreamingMedia, UPI, and Dow Jones WSJ.com – have already declared their intention to utilize the new standard. The IPTC will initiate new work programs to ensure that NewsML evolves as a standard and achieves widespread acceptance. The DTD for NewsML v1.0, together with a functional specification, supporting documents and background papers can be found on the IPTC web site at www.iptc.org/NewsMLv1T.zip. The DTD is available as a rights-free standard but it remains the intellectual property of the IPTC. www.iptc.org

Rational Software announced Rational Suite ContentStudio, a new member of the Rational Suite product family that includes technology from Vignette Corp. to address the needs of e-businesses challenged with managing content and code in complex e-business sites. Rational Suite ContentStudio consists of Rational ClearCase technology, Vignette V/5 Content Management Server, and Rational Suite Team Unifying Platform (Rational Requisite Pro, Rational ClearQuest and Rational Unified Process). The incorporation of Vignette’s technology in Rational Suite ContentStudio is the result of a strategic alliance between the two companies. Rational Suite ContentStudio is designed for e-business development teams that include content contributors, who write, design, edit or approve the information that will be on the site; and software developers, who design, build, and test the code that powers the e-business system. Rational Suite ContentStudio is a product to manage content, code and other software artifacts in a common, software configuration management foundation to unify e-business teams so they can build and deploy sophisticated e-business sites quicker and with higher quality. Rational Suite ContentStudio provides browser-based templating integrated with Rational ClearCase to deliver parallel development capabilities for e-business teams. All content assets, code and other software artifacts are managed with secure version control and can then be deployed to an application server environment in unison. Rational Suite ContentStudio will be available by April 1, 2001. Rational Suite ContentStudio will cost $4,795 per node-locked license and $8,395 per floating license. www.rational.com

IntraNet Solutions, Inc. announced that it has formed a strategic relationship with RESoft, Inc. IntraNet Solutions’ Xpedio Content Management system will be an integral component of RESoft’s new document management suite of products, REDocs. REDocs enables real estate owners and operators to easily manage property and portfolio information in a secure Web-based environment, as well as offer their customers, employees, partners and vendors access to real estate information through any Internet browser anytime from anywhere in the world. REDocs is sold to end users under an ASP model. REDocs users can enhance core real estate business processes such as leasing, property management, vendor procurement, acquisition, disposition and financing. Content is converted to Web formats that users can then access from any Internet-connected device. In addition, the Xpedio-powered REDocs system offers security, search capabilities, subscriptions and version management, as well as other robust business content management features. IntraNet Solutions also has granted RESoft rights to resell all IntraNet Solutions products to the commercial real estate industry in the U.S. and Canada. www.resoftinc.com, www.intranetsolutions.com

Eprise Corporation and Ektron, Inc. announced an OEM partnership whereby Ektron’s eWebEditPro WYSIWYG Web edit tool will be embedded into the next release of Eprise Participant Server. By joining forces, the two companies extend Eprise Participant Server’s support for non-technical business users. Ektron’s technology allows non-technical business professionals using Eprise Participant Server to gain a new level of sophistication in their ability to create Web content and publish it directly to their site — while working within stylistic parameters set forth by the corporate Webmaster. eWebEditPro’s familiar editing toolbar allows users to format text, create tables, check spelling, insert images, create hyperlinks and more. IT staff can maintain necessary controls by configuring the solution to ensure that the overall look and feel of the site remains intact. www.ektron.com, www.eprise.com

Percussion Software and Information Architects (iA) announced a partnership that will allow their customers to manage content in real time on the Internet. The combination of iA’s SmartCode and Percussions’ Rhythmyx Content Manager enable companies to integrate content from disparate data sources and effectively manage and publish the content for various audiences in real time. In addition, Percussion will license iA’s PDF-to-HTML converter in order to offer customers the ability to dynamically convert Adobe PDF files into HTML. Rhythmyx utilizes XML and XSL as enabling technologies, complementing iA’s SmartCode. The integrated solution leverages next-generation XML, XSL and Java technologies to provide companies with the means to more effectively develop, manage and deploy Web sites that enable information flow from any content source to any audience. Together they offer the combination of real time syndication and aggregation of content from any data source to any Web site or connected device — browser, mobile phone or PDA — with “on-the-fly” transformation to meet the formatting requirements of each site or device without having to repeat the business logic. www.percussion.com, www.ia.com

More than 60 companies with headquarters in Asia, Europe and the Americas are gathering to announce success in implementing global e-business process standards within the IT and electronic components (EC) industries. Organized around “10.10.2000,” a milestone marking production-system implementation of RosettaNet standards, this gathering of supply chain partners and solution partners represents substantial industry-wide participation and velocity. Approximately 80 percent of IT and EC Board Member companies have connected with trading partners to implement RosettaNet Partner Interface Processes (PIPs). RosettaNet PIPs are system-to-system XML-based dialogs critical to aligning business processes in the supply chain. Working in concert with trading partners are solution providers who deliver system integration, software development and consulting services; RosettaNet membership contains nearly 150 Solution Partner companies that are committed to speeding adoption of RosettaNet standards. The creation this month of a Semiconductor Manufacturing (SM) Board extends the reach of RosettaNet through the design and manufacture of semiconductors used in a wide range of computer and electronic systems. RosettaNet will also roll out a new PIP assembly line methodology designed to accelerate development and input processes. www.rosettanet.org