Category: Content technology news (Page 567 of 644)

South Wind Design, Inc. announced the release of xmlFX Developer Toolkit for C++(TM) v1.0 (xmlFX DTK) to expedite the development of business-to-business XML applications. Key benefits include Internet-readiness and an intuitive yet powerful XML query language (SXQL) for accessing and manipulating transactional XML documents. Because it leverages existing skill sets, there is little or no learning curve. The xmlFX DTK is targeted at the manipulation of transactional documents as opposed to display documents in a production environment that processes hundreds of thousands of XML transactions every day. Built-in Internet support empowers the user to read and write XML documents over the Web, using HTTP and FTP protocols. The xmlFX DTK is available now, complete with on-line documentation and Web-enabled technical support. The initial release targets Microsoft Visual C++ 6. The xmlFX DTK sells for $495 USD, and source code is available for an additional $795 USD. For a limited time, both packages are bundled at $995 USD, see www.swdi.com/products.htm . An evaluation edition will be available for free download soon. A 30-day satisfaction guarantee is in effect for the object code version. The xmlFX DTK is royalty-free. www.supportability.com

OASIS, the organization responsible for the continued maintenance of the DocBook DTD, has designated O’Reilly’s latest release, “DocBook: the Definitive Guide”, as the official documentation of the DocBook DTD. DocBook is a system for writing structured documents using SGML and XML. DocBook, provides all the elements you’ll need for technical documents of all kinds. A number of computer companies use DocBook for their documentation, as do several Open Source documentation groups, including the Linux Documentation Project (LDP). With the consistent use of DocBook, these groups can readily share and exchange information. With an XML-enabled browser, DocBook documents are as accessible on the Web as in print. “DocBook: The Definitive Guide” will be at your local bookstore, and in its entirety, online at www.oreilly.com/catalog/docbook/chapter/book/docbook.html

Hynet Technologies announced the availability of Hynet Directive

The Apache Software Foundation, in collaboration with Bowstreet, DataChannel, Exoffice, IBM, Lotus Development Corporation and Sun Microsystems, announced the formation of the xml.apache.org Project in response to the overwhelming demand for Open Source XML and XSL tools triggered by the rapid adoption of XML. xml.apache.org will advance the development and deployment of XML and XSL standards, and demonstrate the power of these technologies on both Web server- and client-side environments. In addition, xml.apache.org will provide a robust set of XML- and XSL-related libraries and applications within an industry-wide, peer-based Open Source development process. The xml.apache.org Project is being bootstrapped with technology donations from several vendors and Open Source XML developers, and will be maintained by the Project team. The donated technologies include: XML4J and XML4C Parsers from IBM, Java Project X and XHTML Parser from Sun Microsystems, LotusXSL, from Lotus Development Corporation, XPages, from DataChannel, FOP, from James Tauber, now with Bowstreet, Cocoon, from Stefano Mazzocchi and the Java-Apache community, OpenXML, from Exoffice and Assaf Arkin, and XSL:P, from Exoffice and Keith Visco. xml.apache. org will name its parser technology Xerces, which will be based on IBM’s XML4J and XML4C technologies. The next version will incorporate the best features on Sun’s parser and other contributions from the open source community. xml.apache.org

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

The Meta Data Coalition (MDC), a not-for-profit organization in the process of standardizing metadata, announced today several new key initiatives as part of its technical meeting Nov. 11. In July 1999, the membership of the Meta Data Coalition ratified the MDC-OIM 1.0, which provides the basic meta-model for representing databases and the interrelationships between them. The new initiatives will extend the model into several key areas such as business models and information portals. This will enable the integration of an even larger set of tools and business applications using the MDC-OIM and its XML interchange format. MDC and OMG Aligning Metadata Standards in the Market: As a result of the Metadata Coalition’s membership exchange with the Object Management Group (OMG), the data warehousing part of the MDC-OIM has been used as a design reference for the OMG’s CWMI (Common Warehouse Metadata Interchange). With the continued co-operation between the technical task forces of both organizations, the metadata standards will be aligned. The MDC is developing a standard for the specification of business rules and the mechanism for exchanging these rules through XML. The MDC has formed an alliance with the Business Rules Group (author of the white paper that defined the first comprehensive business rules classification), who will participate in the MDC technical meetings. The MDC has established a collaboration with the European Commission’s ESPRIT Project ATLAS, which is headed by Unisoft, Greece. ATLAS incorporates technologies for real-time business information systems and plans to use the MDC-OIM Business Engineering and Knowledge Management Models to drive the transition from online to real-time business information systems. Standardized Metadata for Component (Object) Design and Reuse: A component model specifies component interfaces and describes the design, assembly and deployment of components into a system, based on some standard component architectural style. The new model provides the necessary metadata types for these descriptions. The work is based on the meta-model of Catalysis, a UML-based methodology for end-to-end component-based development. Integration of Knowledge Management and Data Warehousing: The integration of user collaboration, document management and business intelligence requires the integration of many different data sources and software services. The MDC-OIM allows a knowledge worker to access information services more easily and supports the use of standard business terminology. Microsoft (an MDC member) will hold a workshop in Redmond, Wash., on Nov. 9-10 to show the integration of information portals through shared metadata using the MDC-OIM. www.MDCinfo.com

Electronics For Imaging, Inc. announced the company is expanding into Internet appliance products. The first in a new family of products, eBeam, converts any whiteboard into a digital workspace, allowing users to capture meeting-notes and diagrams in real time on their personal computer. Words and images can be viewed, edited, and shared across the world using a web browser. The eBeam system weighs approximately one pound and can easily be carried in a laptop case. Setting up eBeam takes less than three minutes. Any word or image drawn on the whiteboard appears on the desktop in full color. Meeting notes can be exported into a variety of popular formats for easy insertion into documents, spreadsheets, e-mail, and web pages. Meetings can be broadcast over the Internet or corporate intranet in real time with eBeam software. Notes can be printed in full color. This new patented product can be purchased beginning November 15, 1999. Estimated street price is approximately $500.www.efi.com