WALTHAM, MA. September 21, 1999.
No Extensible Markup Language (XML) job is too big or small for Norm Walsh, Arbortext's e-contractor extraordinaire, who plans to take on a wide range of projects and issues in his new online column, Standard Deviations from Norm."
Readers can forget about the boredom of white papers and sleepy tutorials. Standard Deviations from Norm, located at www.arbortext.com, provides not only valuable how-to insights for those trying to implement for the latest XML standard but also a wealth of XML-related resources and links.
Hosted by Walsh, who is a principal software engineer for Arbortext and XML standards guru, readers can look forward to rolling up their technical sleeves and learning how to take on XML projects the smart way, saving themselves pain and money by following a leader in the XML world. The first issue of Norm's column provides advice about XPath, an XML path language that will be an important building block for future specifications. Norm shows readers how XPath will provide a common foundation for solving the fundamental problem of locating elements, attributes, and other XML document nodes in a concise and interoperable way. This will allow stylesheets, links, and other developing web technologies to use a standard set of mechanisms to describe locations in an XML document, increasing interoperability and reducing user confusion.
With a new column every six weeks, Norm's column gives implementation advice on the important aspects of XML. The column is especially valuable to those who are trying to build XML content today.
A future column will address the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) endorsed recommendation, XML Namespaces -- a way to mix two or more XML-based languages in one document without conflict or ambiguity. The section also provides links to other resources, including standards information, XML authoring tips, calendars and agendas for upcoming educational events, end- user forums and online product tutorials. Norm occasionally "deviates" from the how-to format to offer up a pointed XML-related opinion.
As a principal software engineer with Arbortext, Walsh works on core product technologies and with customers to develop and implement the standards-based solutions that best meet their unique needs.
Walsh is also an active participant in several standards efforts, including the DocBook Technical Committee of OASIS, where he is a member of the Editorial Board. In addition, he chairs the OASIS Tables Technical Committee and is a member of the W3C Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) Working Group. He is also a contributor to xml.com. Prior to joining Arbortext, Walsh developed online books and Web technologies for a publishing company and developed a number of large Web resources. He is the author of "DocBook: The Definitive Guide," published by O'Reilly & Associates.
Walsh received his master's degree in computer science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
About Arbortext
Arbortext is the leading provider of XML-based e-Content software to Global 5000 organizations. Arbortext solutions enable companies to create, manage and deliver vital business information automatically via the Web, CD- ROM or paper media, speeding time-to-market while reducing costs. For more information about Waltham, Mass., -based Arbortext, visit the company Web site at www.arbortext.com.
SOURCE: Arbortext, Inc.