Standards for Interoperability (Abstract)

Standards for Interoperability

by Mary Fletcher Laplante, Executive Director, SGML Open

SGML is one of the most important document management investments that an organization can make. The reason is clear: SGML ensures the interoperability of information.

With technology changing every eighteen months, corporations seek to protect their information investments by implementing open systems. But any system architecture-no matter how "open"- is guaranteed to be out-dated eventually. The best investment that an organization can make to ensure long-term interoperability is the development and maintenance of open information, which is what SGML enables.

This white paper discusses how SGML relates to document publishing standards like HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), to compound document applications such as OpenDoc and to publishing standards including PostScript and RTF. It provides information on SGML's current position in the market, who supports it and who is using it.

Note: This article appeared in the Jan/Feb 1995 issue of The Gilbane Report.

WHITE PAPER #1001-SO