“Yet another standards body forms to lobby for its vision of
XML’s future — do we really need so many opinions?”
“The fight over the direction of XML technology just keeps
getting messier. In recent weeks, Microsoft announced its
BizTalk.org Web portal and reiterated its plans to create standard
XML-based schemata, or document type definitions (DTDs), for the
Windows environment. Not wanting to miss the party, old market
adversaries IBM and Sun are backing an alternative XML advisory
group to make sure they get their two cents in.
“This small, nonprofit industry group is called the Organization
for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS).
OASIS hosts a Web portal called XML.org that will contain resources
and DTD blueprints tailored for various industries. Under the
supervisory umbrella of OASIS, technical committees made up of
representatives from over 70 member companies will work on specific
DTDs for business-to-business transactions.
“A small OASIS OASIS is a tiny voice for now, especially when
compared to Microsoft’s sizable influence. However, it does have
strong partners in IBM, Sun, Boeing, Adobe, and Software AG. Now,
even Microsoft is paying attention.”