[announce] OASIS Forms TC to Develop Web Services Component Model forInteractive Web Applications

[Carol Geyer <carol.geyer@oasis-open.org>]

OASIS Members Form Technical Committee to Develop Web Services Component
Model for Interactive Web Applications

Cyclone Commerce, DataChannel, Documentum, Epicentric, HP, IBM,
Logistics Management Institute, Macromedia, Sterling Commerce, U.S.
Defense Information Systems Agency, and Others Collaborate to Advance
International Standard for Delivering Applications as Web Services

Boston, MA, USA; 22 October 2001 -- OASIS, the XML interoperability
consortium, today announced its members have formed the OASIS Web
Services Component Model (WSCM) Technical Committee to create a Web
services standard for interactive application access. WSCM will provide
a coordinated set of XML vocabularies and Web services interfaces that
allow companies to deliver Web applications to end users through a
variety of channels--directly to a browser, indirectly through a portal
or embedded into a third party Web application.

"Right now, there is no industry standard mechanism for packaging the
display component of a Web service," explained Charles Wiecha of IBM,
chair of the new OASIS WSCM Technical Committee. "WSCM will enable any
Web application--a package tracker, a calendar application, a stock
quote, anything--to be delivered and displayed to an end user as a Web
service, regardless of the underlying Web platform, vendor-specific
application format or display device."

With WSCM, companies will be free to syndicate their applications across
different portals and Web site platforms without being limited by
proprietary products. They will be able to dynamically share Web
services without the time and labor of creating multiple vendor-specific
connectors written to different Web languages such as Java, COM/.Net and
Perl.

Wiecha emphasized that WSCM will be developed in light of standards and
specifications issued by OASIS, UN/CEFACT, ISO, W3C and other relevant
standards bodies. "We aren't trying to reinvent the Web presentation
layer. Our goal is to harmonize WSCM as far as practical with existing
Web application programming models (e.g., Portals), the work of the W3C
(e.g., XForms, DOM, XML Events, XPath, XLink, XML Component API task
force), emerging Web services standards (e.g., SOAP, WSDL, WSFL) and
with the work of other appropriate business information bodies."

In the interest of convergence, the OASIS WSCM Technical Committee will
consider contributions of related work from other groups and companies.
The Web Services User Interface (WSUI), an initiative proposed by a
working group of software providers earlier this year, plans to submit
their specification to the new OASIS technical committee.

"From WSUI's inception, the goal was to submit our work to a major
standards body," said Ed Anuff, chief strategy officer of Epicentric,
one of the major WUSI contributors. "We chose OASIS because its members
include some of the largest, most influential developers in the
industry. That level of support is critical for widespread adoption."

"The nascent stage of Web services requires nurturing not just in terms
of commercial credibility but also in terms of usable standards," said
Tyler McDaniel, Director of Application Strategies at Hurwitz Group.
"This concerted effort by OASIS, leveraging the work of WSUI.Org, will
help the market address a key issue of presenting Web services
throughout the Internet ecosystem.  With strong vendor leadership,
focused through OASIS, enterprises should get the benefit of a thorough
specification."

IBM intends to contribute Web Services Experience Language (WSXL), a Web
services-centric component model for interactive Web applications, as
work to be considered in the OASIS WSCM Technical Committee. The WSXL
reference document can be found on IBM's developerWorks site at
http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/library/ws-wsxl/index.html.

"IBM is pleased to contribute WSXL to be considered as part of WSCM,"
said Bob Sutor, director of e-business standards strategy at IBM. "As an
XML and Web services-centric component model for interactive Web
applications, WSCM will enable businesses to more easily distribute
those interactive Web applications through multiple channels. It will
also help create new ones by leveraging existing resources across the
Web. IBM is a longtime supporter of OASIS, and we're very happy to have
the opportunity to chair the OASIS WSCM Technical Committee."

"Much of the work around Web services is focused on giving developers
tools to access remote application functions over the Internet," noted
Karl Best, OASIS director of technical operations. "The OASIS WSCM
Technical Committee aims to make those services accessible to the end
user. We invite all who would be affected by this standard to
participate in our work."

Initial members of the OASIS WSCM Technical Committee include Cyclone
Commerce, DataChannel, Documentum, Epicentric, Hewlett-Packard Company,
IBM, Logistics Management Institute, Macromedia, Sterling Commerce, U.S.
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and other OASIS Contributors
and Individual members. Participation is open to all OASIS members;
interested parties will find information on joining OASIS at
http://www.oasis-open.org/join.

OASIS will host an open mail list, wscm-comment@lists.oasis-open.org,
for public comment on WSCM. Completed work will be freely available to
the public without licensing or other fees.


Industry Support for WSCM

"DataChannel has been a leader in advancing XML-based technologies since
our company's inception in 1996, " said Norbert Mikula, Chief Technology
Strategist of DataChannel and Vice Chairman of the Oasis Board of
Directors.  "In 1998 we submitted WebBroker to the W3C, followed by a
co-submission of the WSDL specification.  DataChannel also co-authored
the technical architecture for ebXML and UDDI, just to name a few.
Today's announcement underscores our commitment to providing our
customers with the best technology innovations to enable wide-scale
collaboration across the Interactive Enterprise ™.  We look forward to
working with IBM and other members of the OASIS WSCM to advance this
important technology specification that will have a significant impact
on the Internet and the enterprise portal market."

"Web services are integral to Documentum's vision of the next generation
of content management," said Una Kearns, XML architect for Documentum
and member of the board of directors for OASIS. "They will enable
Documentum to incorporate content management capabilities across
applications and deliver them through a variety of channels - reducing
the total cost and time necessary to integrate and deploy web and portal
infrastructures. Standardizing the packaging and delivery of Web
services is essential, and we are delighted to work with our partners
and other industry leaders, under OASIS, to complete this important area
of work."

"The interoperability and portability of XML-enabled software solutions
is critical in customer environments," said Jack Walicki, general
manager, Web services operations for HP. "HP is pleased to join with
other OASIS members in creating a component model for interactive web
applications that can be used by the ever-growing XML community. HP's
Netaction software suite, including the HP Netaction Internet Operating
Environment, will be able to provide an even more flexible interface
through the WSCM specifications."

"Sabre sees XML and Web services as critical components in the future of
online travel services and is committed to open interoperability
standards and a services-based application architecture." said Eric
Garcia, a vice president for Strategic Architecture at Sabre.  "We look
forward to the results of this technical committee and anticipate that
their enabling and harmonization efforts will promote the rapid
implementation of value added Web services."

"OASIS is well-positioned to make substantive contributions to this
significant area of Web and electronic business technology.  This should
facilitate the development and use of standards, based on XML, that
enhance interoperability," said Jerry Smith, U.S. Defense Information
Systems Agency (DISA).


About OASIS

OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org) is the XML interoperability
consortium, advancing collaboration, convergence and adoption of open
specifications for structured information exchange. Members themselves
set the OASIS technical agenda, using a lightweight, open process
expressly designed to promote industry consensus and unite disparate
efforts. OASIS is the home for web services, XML conformance, security,
business transactions, electronic publishing, topic maps and other
interoperability specifications development.

OASIS and the United Nations jointly sponsor ebXML, a global framework
for electronic business data exchange. OASIS operates XML.org, a
community clearinghouse for XML application schemas, vocabularies and
related documents. OASIS hosts The XML Cover Pages, an online reference
collection for interoperable markup language standards.

OASIS has more than 400 corporate and individual members in 100
countries around the world. OASIS sponsors include Accenture, Access360,
Adobe Systems, Agital, Altova, Arbortext, Auto-trol, Aventail, Baltimore
Technologies, BEA Systems, Bentley Systems, The Boeing Company,
Bowstreet, Business Logic Corporation, Chrystal Software, Cincom
Systems, Citrix Systems, Cohesia, Commerce One, Critical Path,
CrossLogix, Cyclone Commerce, DataChannel, Divine, Documentum, EADS
Airbus SA, EDS, election.com, empolis, Engage, Enigma, Epicentric,
Excelergy, eXcelon, Extricity, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Identrus,
Infoteria, Innodata, Intel, Interwoven, IONA, IPNet Solutions, ITEDO,
Ivis Group, Jamcracker, Logistics Management Institute, Macromedia,
Mercator, Microsoft, Neocore, Netegrity, Netscape/AOL, NextPage, NII
Enterprise Promotion Association, Nimble Technology, NIST, Novell,
Oblix, OpenNetwork Technologies, Oracle, Pearson Education, Popkin
Software, Republica, Reuters Limited, SAA Consultants, Sabre, SAP,
Securant, SeeBeyond, Silverstream, SoftQuad Software, Software AG,
Sterling Commerce, StreamServe, Sun Microsystems, Sybase, Tata
Consultancy Services, The Tamalpais Group, Thomas Technology Solutions,
Tibco, Unisys, US Defense Information Systems Agency, Verticalnet,
Virtual Access Networks, Vitria, webMethods, Whitehill Technologies,
Xerox, XML Global and Xyvision Enterprise Solutions.


For more information:
Carol Geyer
Director of Communications
OASIS
carol.geyer@oasis-open.org
+1.978.667.5115 x209