On September 28, 1998, Gavin M. Roy posted an announcement to the XML Developers List concerning the design of XMLTP (XML Transfer Protocol), "a common protocol for sending and executing upon XML data. This concept is different then embedding XML in HTML, or other traditional mechanisms. By creating a common protocol, server daemon, and client/server architecture, we can, in essence, create a system that by using a modular plug in technology, similar to Apache's, that will provide a system that is: platform independent, reliable, scalable, and multi-functional."
A Web site for the support of the XML Transfer Protocol was launched, with this message: "Welcome to XMLTP.Org, an online community effort to standardize the transport mechanism for XML data. By taking cues from the Linux and Apache community, XMLTP.org is in the process of developing a standard way to send, receive, and execute upon XML data. By creating a common pathway, in the form of a client and server, a protocol, programming API's, and standard for formatting, XMLTP.org will provide a core technology to make XML more than just a web-based data formatting standard. We are currently looking for volunteers in all areas, as we are an Open Source project."
XMLTP is a proposal "to create XMLTP, or XML Transfer Protocol. The definition of such a protocol would allow for the development of standard server and client interactions. By developing a common distribution of a XMLTP server daemon, or XMLTPD, programmers and system administrators can provide a common gateway for application data. In developing a communications framework for XML data the XMLTP organization hopes to directly establish the following: 1) Platform independent communication of XML data; 2) A multi-platform distribution of an XMLTP server daemon; 3) A multi-platform API and library set for XMLTP clients. . By providing these components, it is our hope that, by using this communications infrastructure, we can ease the development cycle for client/server applications. A few possible applications for XMLTP are: 1) Client/Server database applications; 2) Distributed data processing; 3) An interface to web based applications; 4) Data distribution to data warehousing centers." [from the "Concept" document]
An email list supports XMLTP.Org: to subscribe, send the phrase 'subscribe xmltp' in the body of a message to Majordomo@XMLTP.Org.
References:
Why XMLTP? - The Concept
Email contact: gmr@xmltp.org (Gavin M. Roy)
[October 09, 1998] "Politics Win Out Over Needs of IT Organizations." By Jeff Walsh. In InfoWorld Volume 20, Issue 40 (October 05, 1998). "A new open source effort is forming around Extensible Markup Language Transfer Protocol, or XMLTP, which is trying to establish a standard way to manipulate XML data across networks (www.xmltp.org). The protocol is similar to Microsoft's Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), which is currently covertly in development, but Web developers are already hoping all of the differing ways to handle Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) using XML will be compatible. 'I think that if XMLTP can be compatible with Userland's XML-RPC and with SOAP, it will only make integration that much easier,' said Josh Lucas. . ."
