On October 12, 1998, Jonathan Borden posted an announcement describing 'the development of a set of components which provide XML Metadata Object Persistence (XMOP). These components provide for the automatic persistence of COM and Java objects in an XML DTD format known as the Simple Object Definition Language (SODL).' Details: "The Simple Object Definition Language (SODL) is an XML IDL DTD which allows objects to be described in a fashion compatible with Interface Definition Language (IDL) used in COM and CORBA object systems. SODL is a simplfied XML IDL designed to be compatible with currently available and widely used non-XML IDLs. SODL allows objects to be described as well as serialized for transport across networks. These serialization/marshalling techniques can be readily integrated into Object RPC over XML transports. SODL is the DTD employed for the XML Metadata Object Persistence (XMOP) service of the XPository(tm) system. The initial implementation of XMOP (XML Metadata Object Persistance) uses the SODL 1.0 DTD and is compatible with Microsoft IDL and COM Automation objects."
Definitions: SODL is a lightweight XML IDL - this is produced as part of the XPository project; XPository is a Web enabled XML based data repository; XTRIME is the eXtensible Transacted Internet Messaging Engine; XMOP XML Metadata Object Persistance [from the DTD]
References:
Announcement [1998-10-12.]
The Simple Object Definition Language - Description
Simple Object Definition Language (SODL) DTD; [local archive copy, 1998-10-13]
"XML Metadata Object Persistence." By Jonathan Borden. Abstract: "XML Metadata Object Persistence (XMOP) allows interoperation between object technologies such as Java, Microsoft COM and CORBA. Java provides automatic serialization capabilites for simple classes yet for classes which contain string and array members, developers have to hand code the serialization methods. COM does not provide automatic serialization for simple nor complex objects. Developers code COM serialization/persistence through the IPersist derived interfaces. XMOP provides serialization and persistence capabilities to both Java and COM objects. Using XML based serialization has several benefits: 1) Objects can be marshaled between different object systems e.g. COM <-> Java; 2) Objects can be transported between different Java VMs e.g. Microsoft <-> Sun.
XML Projects at JABR Technology Corporation
Email contact: Jonathan Borden
Information: sodl-info@jabr.ne.mediaone.net