Hi Tessa
As well as the benefits of using XML it's probably worth mentioning
other related XML developments, in particular XLink, XPointer and XSL.
XLink is being developed in response to criticisms about the web from
the hypertext community. With XLink you can have:
o Links that lead to multiple destinations
o Bidirectional links
o Links with special behaviors:
o Expand-in-place / Replace / Create new window
o Link on load / Link on user action
o Link databases
For example image medical teaching application. For 1st year medics, links
can take the use to resources, such as glossary definitions, relevant to 1st
years, whereas a final year would get a different set of glossary
definitions. (BTW the Microcosm / Open Journal group at Southampton have
been doing this type of work for some time).
XPointer will enable you access to arbitrary portions of XML resource (i.e.
give me the British Council page, starting at the second paragraph up to the
third word of the fourth paragraph from the end). This obviously has
interesting copyright implications!
XSL (XML stylesheet language) will provide extensibility and transformation
facilities (e.g. create a table of contents).
These drafts aren't as mature as XML (which is a W3C recommendation).
However it's probably worth being aware of them.
Further information, including pointers to the drafts, is available at:
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue16/what-is/
Brian
------------------------------------------------------
Brian Kelly, UK Web Focus
UKOLN, University of Bath, BATH, England, BA2 7AY
Email: [log in to unmask] URL: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/
Homepage: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/ukoln/staff/b.kelly.html
Phone: 01225 323943 FAX: 01225 826838
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, October 12, 1998 7:50 PM
Subject: Use of XML
>I would be interested in hearing from colleagues working on eLib projects
>who have experiemented with XML. My team is working on several projects
>including a project similar to the eLib hybrid library projects where XML
>looks like a promising candidate for the delivery and management of
>documents.
>
>We have just heard a very interesting talk on XML at the NorthWest web
>managers meeting here at the British Council. If you have looked at XML
>and have any opinions on its usefulness, particularly in the context of the
>hybrid library projects or general web document management, I would be very
>interested to hear from you. I understand that it has been used quite
>extensively in industrial and publishing (Blackwells Science) applications
>already.
>
>Regards,
>
>Tessa Bruce
>Electronic Information Services Manager
>The British Council [log in to unmask]
>Tel:(44)161 957 7136
>Fax:(44)161 957 7168
>
>
>
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