RE: Call for XML.org sponsors' meeting April 9

["Laura Walker: OASIS" <laura.walker@oasis-open.org>]

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Jon Bosak [mailto:bosak@ort.Eng.Sun.COM]
    Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2001 11:44 PM
    To: laura.walker@oasis-open.org
    Cc: una.kearns@documentum.com; mweiner@us.ibm.com;
    acxo@lists.oasis-open.org; franz-josef.fritz@sap.com
    Subject: Re: Call for XML.org sponsors' meeting April 9


    | I'll be in San Jose on the 17th, and will investigate the
    | possibility of extending my stay through the 18th to participate
    | in the meeting.  (I must be back on the east coast that night,
    | though, so I'll have to take the last flight back at 12:40.)

    I figured that the meeting would have to be in the morning so that
    Franz-Josef could dial in.  If so, making a flight out in the
    afternoon shouldn't be a problem.


I'll be available as early as you want until about 11:30.


    | In my role as Chair, I'm happy to call the meeting, but need
    | assistance with the agenda.  Or at least just a sense of the
    | goal(s) of the meeting.

    I think the agenda should be "What do we think of Leo's plan for
    XML.org."

    Sun's goals for XML.org are the same as when we proposed the idea
    two years ago, namely:

       1. XML reg/rep

       2. Domain name for projects like SAX

       3. Possible URN resolver

    I'm not seeing a reason to head in the direction that Leo has in
    mind, but I want to hear what the other sponsors think.

The original "XML.ORG FUTURE" is still available at
http://xml.org/about_xmlorg/index.shtml. I believe this was written by you,
Jon, and I think it's still relevant.  I believe we're still headed in the
same direction as articulated in that statement, and that there are now even
more opportunities to increase the value of the site (such as with an ebXML
registry/repository).  As we all realize, the registry launched last fall
was not a resounding success.  It appears that there's no real need for such
a service at this point.  That's going to change in the future, and we're
going to be there when it does.  But in the interim we need to attract
visitors to the site, we need to provide valuable content to the community,
and we need to make progress on delivering the on the promise of a
"credible, independent resource for news, education, and information about
the application of XML in industrial and commercial settings."

The current plan does not exclude doing things like an ebXML reg/rep, or a
new version of the XML.ORG reg/rep.  At this point, we've got to develop a
viable business model. And the previous sponsorship model is not working: I
haven't been able to attract any new sponsors (and have had limited success
in renewals) because there's no new content on the site.  Leo's plan is
going to fix that problem.  And the ACXO can focus on providing strategic
direction on other valuable services ... like those you've identified, Jon.

A sidebar: Although the Registry has proven to be the success you thought it
would, the Catalog is frequently referenced (and accessed).  The existing
Catalog, combined with access to the ZapThink report that Leo's negotiated,
is going to be the most complete listing of XML initiatives, bar none.  This
is a major step in the right direction, and I credit Leo's business
development accumen for making this progress happen.

I really hope that the ACXO will see the wisdom of increasing the value of
the content of the site.  It is primarily through new content that we will
be able to captivate the market as it stands today and attract new partners
with whom to develop these more interesting industry services.

I'm looking forward to spending most of the time during this next meeting
talking about strategic future projects, as opposed to honing in on the
detail of what is almost purely a tactical plan to get more traffic -- and
more sponsorship dollars so that we can do the things that we *really* want
to do.


Laura