“The Directory Services Markup Language… DSML, which
uses XML to let directories share information with each other as
well as with Web applications and services, has been submitted
to standards bodies by a group of six directory vendors.
The group, led by Bowstreet Software and including IBM,
Microsoft, Novell, Oracle and the Sun-Netscape Alliance,
submitted DSML 1.0 to the Organization for the Advancement of
Structured Information Standards (OASIS) and the World Wide Web
Consortium. “
“DSML’s promise is to go beyond the current standard of
referencing directory data–the Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol–and create a fuller and more dynamic exchange of
information. Whereas LDAP dictates a common method for accessing
data in the directory, DSML aims to let applications understand
that information and turn it into the fuel of e-commerce
systems.”