Industry Leaders Drive Development of XML Applications with New Alliance

Industry Leaders Drive Development of XML Applications with New Alliance

Rapid Emergence of XML Yields New Active Web Technologies Once Thought Impossible

BELLEVUE, Washington, March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Today 18 leading technologycompanies including Allaire, Andersen Consulting, Arbor Text, BTG, DataChannel, Daylight Software, Informix, Inso, NexGen SI, OmniMark Technologies, Online Computing Library Center, PLATINUM Technology Solutions, Poet Software, NC Focus, Sybase, Thomson Corporation, Wall Data and WebMethods announced the formation of the XML Active Content Technologies Council (X- ACT). This group recognizes XML, a groundbreaking new technology, will spawn a new class of computer applications and transactions (Active Content Technologies) that will enable active content at all levels of networked computing (Desktop, Server, Internet, Intranet, Extranet, VPNs, LANs, WANs).

X-ACT was formed to provide a communications venue for corporations working to develop real-world XML-based solutions to meet today's business needs, increase awareness about Active Content Technologies and their benefits, and maintain an index to Active Content software. Aligned with all standards bodies, X-ACT specifically focuses on promoting the usage and adoption of XML in real-world applications.

"XML is an evolutionary step in Web technology, but its potential for revolutionary impact depends on an understanding in the community about how to use it -- how to go beyond just publishing to structured information exchange," said Dan Connolly, architecture domain leader at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). "The exciting promise of XML has taken a powerful step toward reality with the formation of X-ACT."

On the heels of the February 10 announcement by W3C that it has formally named XML 1.0 as a W3C Recommendation, X-ACT establishes a forum for the discussion of XML-enabled technologies, their integration with existing information systems and future products. Poised to play an integral role in the development of the XML market and its impact in networked computing, the formation of X-ACT was spearheaded by Bellevue, Wash.-based DataChannel.

"For content to be used strategically, it must be active at all levels -- both inside and outside a company," said David Pool, president and CEO at DataChannel. "Since Active Content Technologies are a vehicle for XML, they provide the interoperable platform for limitless strategic applications -- ultimately allowing companies to get the most out of their technology investment. Clearly, the formation of X-ACT will help XML reach its full potential."

What is Active Content

Active Content is data and/or information based on XML which can be made live at levels of networked computing through the use of XML Active Content Technologies. Active Content represents all the possible forms of XML as documents, data and meta-data, and the new class of information systems that will allow data or objects to be re-used and re-purposed by any application.

For more information regarding X-ACT, contact Jeff Coon at jeffc@datachannel.com or point your browser to http://www.x-act.org.

About DataChannel Inc.

Based in Bellevue, Washington, DataChannel is a pioneer in enterprise content routing solutions, focusing on instant distribution of organized content. DataChannel's flagship product ChannelManager combines the power of an XML-driven database engine with real-time TIB notification (Nasdaq: RTRSY) working with Netscape's Communicator (Nasdaq: NSCP) or Microsoft Active Channel content (Nasdaq: MSFT). DataChannel simplifies the process of delivering critical information to the right people at the right time through the instant distribution of organized content including external newsfeeds such as Data Broadcasting Corp. (Nasdaq: DBCC), Desktop Data (Nasdaq: DTOP), and Individual (Nasdaq: INDV); search engines such as Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO), Excite (Nasdaq: XCIT), InfoSeek (Nasdaq: SEEK), and Lycos (Nasdaq: LCOS); relational databases from companies such as Informix Software (Nasdaq: IFMX), Sybase (Nasdaq: SYBS), and Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL); PC applications; and legacy corporate data from companies such as Wall Data (Nasdaq: WALL) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) -- all within a customizable employee desktop environment. Additional information about DataChannel Inc. and its products can be found at http://www.datachannel.com.

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SOURCE: DataChannel

CONTACT: Thomas Morelli of Text 100 Public Relations, Tel. +1 206-443-8004, Fax: 206-443-5838, thomasm@textlOO.com; or Valerie Chan of DataChannel Inc., Tel. +1 425-462-1999, Fax: 425-637-1192, valerie@datachannel.com