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Category: Web technologies & information standards (Page 37 of 58)

Here we include topics related to information exchange standards, markup languages, supporting technologies, and industry applications.

The PDF ISO Standard

Much is being made today of Adobe Systems announcement that “it intends to release the full Portable Document Format (PDF) 1.7 specification to AIIM, the Enterprise Content Management Association, for the purpose of publication by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).”

The main hubbub surrounds the contention of several bloggers that this represents another attack by Adobe on Microsoft and its recently-released XPS format, “the PDF killer.” Quite probably so. It’s a subject worth examining, although not superficially.
For today I’d like to consider what it means to become an ISO standard. I think of this as the equivalent of getting a lifetime achievement award from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Oscars). It means you were pretty good, but you’re now almost dead.

As of December 31, 2005, there were 15,649 published ISO standards, with 1,240 released in that year alone. Under the heading of electronics, information technology and telecommunications, there were 2,447 published standards. How many does your organization conform to? If this impresses you, remember to celebrate World Standards Day on October 14! And for even more fun, there’s the new isomemory game (http://www.iso.org/iso/en/commcentre/isomemory/startpage.html#). I hear it’s fun for the whole family!

You can’t read the published standards on the ISO site without giving them a chunk of cash first. That says something in itself; I’m just not sure what. But you can see listings of the bodies buried in the ISO graveyard. For example ISO 12639:2004 is the TIFF/IT standard, once used widely in the prepress industry, but no longer a player. You can however download it for 176 Swiss francs, 8700 Yugoslav dinars, or about $140 Yankee dollars.

ISO 6804:1991 covers “rubber hoses and hose assemblies for washing-machines and dishwashers — Specification for inlet hoses.” It’s yours for 48 Swiss francs!

I could go on (and am tempted to do so).

At the same time, there are certain relevant standards that have crept into ISO…as Adobe mentions in its press release, all of the PDF sibling are now ISO standards (PDF/X, PDF-X1, etc.). The OpenDocument Format is a standard. And so on.

So what is the significance of becoming an ISO standard when your standard is one that people actually use? Historically, none; more recently, some.

As the publishing industry has evolved into an ever-more-complex microsystem, more and more organizations (and indeed states, countries, etc.) are choosing to endorse standards that have been accepted and published by ISO.

Will more organizations use PDF if it’s an ISO standard? Probably not. That is, unless Microsoft gains real traction with XPS. There are some very high-stakes games being played against the Microsoft/Windows juggernaut, and standards have become a key weapon in the game. Adobe has played a major trump card. Microsoft: your move.

Ipedo Launches Enhanced XQuery Views

Ipedo announced major enhancements to the XQuery Views capabilities in Ipedo XIP. In conjunction with the W3C’s formal establishment of the XQuery standard, Ipedo now provides organizations with enhanced XML query processing and data virtualization in their EII platform. Ipedo’s XQuery Views – a data virtualization approach that allows data to be combined without the need to copy, stage and transform it – also enables queries across combinations of data from remote XML and relational sources. This feature increases access to data and content across organizations. Ipedo’s XQuery can be used in conjunction with the XML processing and XQuery now available in Oracle 10g, DB2, and Microsoft SQL Server. Ipedo XIP allows XQuery Views results to be cached natively in XML. The new XQuery engine implements query operators that stream data values, so that query evaluation is memory efficient. XQuery Views can now be invoked directly via a Web Services API. Ipedo XIP can automatically generate the WSDL file needed for a particular XQuery View. In addition to standard data sources, Ipedo’s XQuery extension framework now makes it possible for users to make custom data sources, such as in-house applications accessed using custom APIs. In addition to the above features, Ipedo has developed further enhancements to XQuery in Ipedo XIP’s Dual-Core Query Architecture, including access to stored procedures in relational databases with support for parameterization of the XQuery Views that access them, and extended query plan description that will allow deeper drilldown of the steps involved in XQuery execution. These enhancements are available immediately for Ipedo XIP version 4.2 on Windows 2000, Windows NT, Sun Solaris, Red Hat Linux and SuSE Linux. Pricing is on a per-CPU basis. http://www.ipedo.com

Syncro Soft Announces a New Product: Syncro SVN Client

Syncro Soft Ltd, the producer of oXygen XML Editor, has announced the immediate availability of Syncro SVN Client, a platform-independent Subversion (SVN) client aimed at giving Subversion repository users a high quality user interface. Syncro SVN Client is released under the 2.0 version because it was initially developed as an embedded component in oXygen XML Editor and starting with version 8.1 of the editor it is available also as a separate product. Syncro SVN Client makes easier the document and code sharing between content authors or developers. It offers full SVN repository support: checkout, export, import, copy, mkdir, rename, branch, tag and delete. The front-end allows you to browse repositories, check for changes, commit changes, update your working copy and examine the revision history. There is no need to install separate applications like a Subversion command line client or a file compare tool. Syncro SVN Client is composed of several views allowing you to browse the Subversion repositories and your local working copies, compare and merge modifications, check the revision history. All the views are dockable, this means you can position them to create the optimal layout for your use case. The Subversion Repository Browsing view allows you to add multiple SVN repositories to the list and browse them in parallel. In this way you can identify the resources you need to checkout, or even create branches or tags directly in the repository. Other features include a SVN Properties view that allows you to change all the standard SVN properties and also to define your own properties, support for multiple communication protocols like SSL and HTTP/HTTPS, a visual diff/merge tool for comparing images. Syncro SVN Client with One Year Maintenance Pack costs $59. Syncro SVN Client Site License with One Year Maintenance Pack costs $2970. Volume discount rates are available starting with 5 licenses. http://www.syncrosvnclient.com

W3C XQuery 1.0 and XSLT 2.0 Become Standards

W3C has published eight new standards in the XML Family to support the ability to query, transform, and access XML data and documents. The primary specifications are XQuery 1.0: An XML Query Language, XSL Transformations (XSLT) 2.0, and XML Path Language (XPath) 2.0; see the full list below. These new Web Standards will play a significant role in enterprise computing by connecting databases with the Web. XQuery allows data mining of everything from memos and Web service messages to multi-terabyte relational databases. XSLT 2.0 adds significant new functionality to the already widely deployed XSLT 1.0, which enables the transformation and styled presentation of XML documents. Both specifications rely on XPath 2.0, also significantly enriched from its previous version. W3C’s XSL Working Group and XML Query Working Group, who created these specifications, have addressed thousands of comments from implementers and the interested public to ensure that the specifications meet the needs of diverse communities. The eight Recommendations published today that together increase the power of the XML family are: 1. XML Path Language (XPath) 2.0, 2. XSL Transformations (XSLT) Version 2.0, 3. XQuery 1.0: An XML Query Language, 4. XML Syntax for XQuery 1.0 (XQueryX), 5. XQuery 1.0 and XPath 2.0 Data Model (XDM), 6. XQuery 1.0 and XPath 2.0 Functions and Operators, 7. XQuery 1.0 and XPath 2.0 Formal Semantics, and,8. XSLT 2.0 and XQuery 1.0 Serialization. http://www.w3.org/

IXIASOFT Announces OEM agreement with 3Squared

IXIASOFT announced an OEM partnership with 3Squared, a provider of web content management solutions and consultancy based in the UK. As part of this agreement, 3Squared has developed Arca, a document management solution based on TEXTML Server, IXIASOFT’s XML database. Aimed at organizations looking for a complete document management solution, Arca enables management for growing enterprise content. Arca features complete document and content management capabilities providing users with a collaborative solution allowing them to better control their content, store and retrieve documents and manage and compare versions. By selecting TEXTML Server as the main repository for their content management offering, 3Squared was able to quickly develop and go to market with its solution. http://wwwixiasoft.com, http://www.3squared.co.uk

JustSystems to Provide xfy adapter for Notes and Domino

JustSystems, Inc. announced plans to launch its “xfy adapter” for IBM Lotus Notes and Domino. The adapter enables organizations to handle data stored in Lotus Notes and Domino databases in xfy, an application development and mashup platform for XML data. The new xfy adapter can access data stored in a Lotus Notes or Domino database, allowing organizations to leverage existing infrastructure investments and information. By combining this data with XML data from an XML database, XML documents within an organization or through Web services, it unlocks the information by presenting it visually with the xfy platform. xfy offers a wizard-like process to allow users to access external systems and applications. The XML data obtained from these sources is analyzed automatically, and displayed in a visual presentation that also enables end-users to switch the view and analyze the data from different angles. The original data is not edited or altered, so it enables organizations to comply with data security requirements. The adapter is scheduled for availability later this year. http://www.justsystems.com, http://www.xfy.com

JustSystems Unveils New Xelerate Partner Program

JustSystems, Inc. announced its new Xelerate Partner Program. The 4-tier program, whose categories include Strategic Partner, Premier Certified, Certified and Associate designations, has been created to reflect its focus on partners that will add value to its XMetaL Content Lifecycle Solutions. Whether partners offer content conversion, management, publishing, or localization software complementary to XMetaL, the program reaffirms JustSystems’ commitment to work in partnership with vendors to provide complete content lifecycle solutions and services to customers. The company also welcomes the first three partners to the program. XyEnterprise Inc., a developer of XML and content management and publishing software solutions, joins as a Premier Certified Solutions Partner; Ovidius GmbH, a provider of XML software for creating, managing, and publishing of technical information, joins as a Premier Certified Services Partner; Commandtext, Inc., a systems integrator specializing in structured content solutions, joins as a Certified Services Partner. XyEnterprise and Ovidius have also been designated as Strategic Partners based on their commitment to standards-based solutions and contribution to the XMetaL business. http://www.xmetal.com

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