Xerox Corporation provided the first public look at askOnce, information agent software that helps organizations leverage the information in documents and take action on it. askOnce is meta-search software that provides secure access to multiple internal and external knowledge sources (e.g., DocuShare or other corporate repositories, databases, web sites) to simplify and improve search, retrieval and manipulation of information. askOnce passes queries to many search engines, directories, or databases and then summarizes all the results. askOnce can even search “metadata” from each information source that is not normally visible (this might include information about the data
Category: Content technology news (Page 565 of 643)
Curated information technology news for content technology, computing, and digital experience professionals. News items are edited to remove hype, unhelpful jargon, iffy statements, and quotes, to create a short summary — mostly limited to 200 words — of the important facts with a link back to a useful source for more information. News items are published using the date of the original source here and in our weekly email newsletter.
We focus on product news, but also include selected company news such as mergers and acquisitions and meaningful partnerships. All news items are edited by one of our analysts under the NewsShark byline. See our Editorial Policy.
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Sequoia Software Corporation announced a partnership with Architag University to offer the public training courses in XML at Sequoia’s Columbia, Maryland corporate offices. The joint training program addresses the exploding demand for programmers with experience at developing XML-based information systems and reflects Sequoia’s long-standing commitment to accelerating the adoption of XML. Schedules and registration information for January, February and March 2000 sessions are posted on both the Sequoia Software and Architag University Web sites. Among the classes scheduled, Architag University will present XML 101, a five-day session covering a wide range of content from XML basics to using XML for developing data-driven Web architectures, from January 10 to 14. For the latest class information visit www.architag.com/university or www.sequoiasoftware.com
At their recent meeting in Amsterdam, members of the IPTC agreed to revamp their operating structure and establish a new work program, IPTC2000, which will deliver an XML-based standard to represent and manage news through its life-cycle, including production, interchange and consumer use. Entitled NewsML, it is intended that the new framework standard will build on the intellectual property invested in existing IPTC standards such as the Information Interchange Model (IIM), News Industry Text Format (NITF) and the IPTC’s widely used Subject Classification Standard. Using XML, it is intended that NewsML will draw appropriately on existing and emerging W3C recommendations. Three working groups have been established to develop the key components of the programme. These are News Structure and Management, News Text and News Metadata. Earlier this year, the IPTC announced the publication of its first XML based standard, News Industry Text Format (NITF). This work, together with the Information Interchange Model (IIM), will form the basis of NewsML. All existing IPTC standards are copyright IPTC and are administered by the International Press Telecommunications Council, based in England. Information on NITF, IIM and Subject Matter Coding is available at www.iptc.org
Policy Management Systems Corporation (PMSC) announced through its wholly-owned subsidiary, DORN Technology Group, Inc., that DORN’s claims management system and its universal claims data specification are programmed in XML. In this case, XML will streamline the exchange of data between all those processing, managing and analyzing claims via the Internet. As a result, DORN’s claims management system, RISKMASTER/World, can reduce significantly the cost of handling claims online. The XML version of RISKMASTER/World will facilitate online communication between claims handlers such as self-insured organizations, third party adjusters, insurance pools, and insurance companies. XML eliminates many problems associated with incompatible data formats. For example, users can more easily exchange data via e-mail, browser, file, and live feeds. This new functionality will help DORN maintain its leadership among providers of online claims management systems. Meanwhile, DORN’s universal claims data specification will help claims application developers create custom XML tags that define where specific data elements begin and end. This helps speed the process of establishing a claims data standard for the entire claims industry. www.dorn.com, www.pmsc.com
Icon Information-Systems announced the release of version 3.0 of its XML Spy product. XML Spy is a professional validating XML editor that lets you edit all XML, XSL, Schema, and DTD files and provides four integrated views on the documents: The Enhanced Grid and Database View shows the entire structure of an XML document in a hierarchical presentation that allows in-place editing of all elements. Sequences of repeating elements are automatically transformed into a spreadsheet-like display. The Text View gives you the option to view the XML document in source form with customizable syntax-coloring and allows you to directly edit the source for low-level tasks. The integrated Browser View uses Internet Explorer 5 to render an XML document inside XML Spy. This view fully supports CSS and XSL style-sheets and can be displayed in a separate window. The new Import function enables the user to generate XML documents from a wide range of flat and relational data sources: text files, Word documents, Access files, and ODBC database sources. Complete Unicode and character-set encoding support are integrated for seamless data exchange with foreign languages or writing systems. www.icon-is.com
click2send.com, Inc. launched click2send for the Enterprise, a Web-based file delivery, management and storage service to facilitate large-scale business communication via the Internet. The service combines instant global file delivery with in-network format conversion, file synchronization, Web-based storage and the ability to customize the user interface to reflect corporate branding, streamlining corporate communication and collaboration with employees, partners and customers. Using click2send for the Enterprise, users can rapidly and reliably transfer files up to 75MB in size using their Web browser and no additional software. The service notifies recipients about the availability of files for transfer through short email messages that contain URLs pointing to the sender’s secure click2send Safe Deposit Box. When recipients click on the URL, their browsers are opened and the users are taken immediately to the file location where files can be downloaded to a local hard disk. Leading business document types, including Microsoft Office, HTML or Windows Media, can be viewed directly in the click2send window without the user having to download the file first and launch it separately. Files can be viewed simultaneously by many recipients in different locations. click2send for the Enterprise is available now to any business with Internet access for a minimal monthly subscription fee. The service is suited for hard-wired connections and Netscape 4.01 or higher and Internet Explorer 4.00 or higher Web browsers. www.click2send.com
Symix Systems, Inc. announced that it has published key XML schemas to the BizTalk.org repository as a part of its digitalmidmarket.com initiative for midsize manufacturers and distributors. As a part of its eBusiness initiative, Symix is supporting the use of XML as a common data exchange framework. Symix has posted two midmarket- and industry-specific XML schemas — Bill of Materials (BOM) and Order Promise Date Request/Response — to BizTalk.org to facilitate the collaboration and information exchange between its midmarket customers and their customers and trading partners. Symix plans to post additional schemas to the BizTalk.org repository. www.symix.com
DataChannel will donate its XPages, an XML application markup language, to the Apache XML Project Open Source Library. The rapid adoption of XML has triggered an overwhelming demand for Open Source XML and XSL tools. DataChannel’s XPages is an XML application markup language for quickly building data-driven, cross-platform Web applications that integrate disparate data sources. XPages offers a dynamic application environment defined by an XML file that aggregates multiple data sources, makes that data URL addressable and defines custom methods to access that data for presentation at the desktop or other devices. The DataChannel submission to the XML.APACHE.ORG Project includes Java code for a servlet based engine. The Project code, along with developer participation guidelines, is available at http://xml.apache.org/, www.datachannel.com

