RE: We don't need to do XML.org after all

[Laura Walker <laurawalker@earthlink.net>]

Jon,

I've been talking with Vernon over the past several weeks. He is 
interested in forming a working group (possibly a consortium) focused on 
XML applications for ecommerce (specifically: auctions, large financial 
transactions, etc.) under the OASIS umbrella.

About mid-way through this letter, he refers to XML.org.

He has told me that he has secured a high degree of support for this 
concept from his constituency. Potential participants include Tradex, 
OpenMarket, Netscape, BroadVision, Trading Dynamics, and several 
retailers.

Regards,
Laura



On Saturday, November 06, 1999 7:34 PM, Jon Bosak 
[SMTP:bosak@boethius.eng.sun.com] wrote:
| Check it out: this guy's going to take care of the whole thing for us.
|
| Has anybody heard of Vernon Keenan?
|
| Jon
|
| ========================================================================
|
|  Date: Fri, 5 Nov 1999 15:29:15 -0800 (PST)
|  From: Vernon Keenan <vern@keenanvision.com>
|  To: bosak@eng.sun.com;
|  Subject: New XML e-commerce initiative: Transactive Content, Dynamic
|  Pricing, e-Services
|
|
|  October 28, 1999
|
|  Dear Industry Colleague --
|
|    Please forgive this intrusion into your mailbox, but I trust you will
|    find
|  this valuable to you and your company. My name is Vernon Keenan and I
|  operate an Internet market research company called Keenan Vision. We
|  specialize in research related to electronic commerce, and I need your
|  help
|  with a new project designed to just let everyone get along.
|
|    In order to help electronic commerce progress from humans clicking on
|    web
|  pages to where bots and agents are having conversations between
|  themselves,
|  I propose we work together to organize a group that promotes the use of
|  XML
|  in electronic commerce. The specific areas of e-commerce to be covered
|  by
|  this new group could be:
|
|    * Transactive content. XML schemas that support the distribution of
|      transactive content that has the ability to complete a transaction,
|      including order management functions.
|    * Dynamic pricing. Many new pricing mechanisms are being introduced
|      into the Internet today, including catalog listings, auctions,
|      exchanges and even bots. XML document definitions will play a
|      pivotal
|      role in the ability for agents to find information and for pricing
|      mechanisms to operate in a machine-to-machine environment.
|    * Legacy adapters and e-services. Transforming legacy back office
|      systems and non-Internet service networks into a new generation
|      of realtime e-services holds great promise as a profitable,
|      recurring source of revenue. The network effect of using the
|      Internet to acquire new users of e-services such as ERP
|      integration, procurement, shipping services, insurance, and
|      financial services offers a large market opportunity as B2B
|      commerce takes off.
|
|    Keenan Vision is proposing is that the group works to achieve these
|    goals
|  within one year:
|
|   1. Create the organization, organize the founding members, establish
|      rules and raise enough money through membership fees to fund
|      technical
|      and educational programs.
|   2. Create a repository used to promote and distribute XML DTDs used to
|      access e-services offered by the group members.
|   3. Promote XML as the key ingredient to building transactive web sites
|      based on e-services, and teach developers how to use e-services
|      through
|      the new repository.
|   4. Run a continuous educational program of web site content,
|   advertising
|      and trade show appearances.
|
|    Currently, I believe the new group should be created under the
|    umbrella of
|  XML.ORG, the largest existing independent organization of application
|  vendors. XML.ORG has a program where they will put a separate, but
|  deeply
|  affiliated, program under their wing and provide all of the legal,
|  organizational structure, and repository technology needed to create a
|  nonprofit XML organization.
|
|    Under XML.ORG's legal umbrella, the new organization would still have
|    the
|  ability to create our own identity, brand and repository. I envision
|  having
|  minimal qualifications for including a vendor's XML DTD in our new
|  repository. The main technical job of the new organization will be to
|  create
|  an ontology, which will dictate the organization of the repository.
|  Member
|  organizations will need to structure their XML DTD according to the new
|  ontology, giving XML developers a way to find and compare DTDs that
|  have
|  similar functionality.
|
|     The first issue we need to deal with is the name of the group.
|     Several
|  names have been proposed, but for now this XML commerce project is
|  still
|  nameless. If you are interested in participating in the project, I will
|  be
|  sending out follow-up correspondence where members can vote and give
|  feedback on the name before we choose it. It is likely the organization
|  will
|  be known by its domain name, something like *XML*.org.
|
|    Membership in the organization will be at two levels: executive and
|  associate. Executive members will pay a higher fee and sit on a
|  committee
|  who will govern the expenditures of the organization, elect
|  representatives
|  to XML.ORG, and have the ability to enter into contracts and do other
|  business on behalf of the members. Associate members will have the
|  ability
|  to submit a DTD for consideration into the new repository and will 
elect
|  a
|  technical committee that will review and approve DTDs for inclusion. If
|  you
|  are interested in being a member, I will follow up and send you the
|  organization's proposed budget and membership fees.
|
|    Any industry organization that is set up to compete with other
|    industry
|  members is doomed to fail. The new group should welcome cooperation and
|  collaboration with other organizations, including W3C, OAG, OASIS, OMG,
|  BizTalk and anyone else who may come along in the future. The attitude
|  should be to at the very least have discussions and cross-membership
|  with
|  these other organizations, if not outright cooperation and sharing of
|  resources.
|
|    Thank you very much for considering this inquiry. I hope you and your
|    firm
|  are interested in being a founding member of this important electronic
|  commerce organization. If you are interested please simply reply to
|  this
|  e-mail with a quick acknowledgement. If you have more questions please
|  do
|  not hesitate to write or telephone.
|
|  Vernon Keenan
|  Internet Analyst
|  Keenan Vision Inc.
|  Phone: +1 (415) 420-2965
|  E-Mail: vern@keenanvision.com
|  Web: http://www.keenanvision.com/