Microsoft Office System and XML: XML in Action. See how the Microsoft Office System enhances XML support in the 2003 versions of the Office applications and introduces new applications that enable businesses to reap the full benefit and promise of this revolutionary technology. [MSDN Just Published]

This is relevant to a discussion going on today on teknoids.  The problem that teknoids routinely encounter is on of format conversion, typically between Word and Wordperfect.  Once wonders how the 'XML'izing of Office might help this?  The answer, it seems, is not at all.  It seems the XML support built into Office is intended to be used primarily as a conduit into Office applications from other business applications.  For example, SEC filing are available in an XML format.  Office will handle this format and allow you to bring information in.  Or, you could generate XML from databases and that could be incorporated. 

All of this is nice in the business and non-academic legal world, but Office is not going to be any better at simply converting documents back and forth between Word and Wordperfect.  Now if there was an XML standard for legal scholarship, maybe something would work better.

3:03:57 PM    comment []  

1. Decide on a format for a directory. It should be XML-based so people can use any text tool to edit them. I designed OPML for this purpose, but if you want to use another format, I won't fight you on it. This is too important to have the usual fight over the bits on the wire.

2. Build software that renders data in this format as if it were a Yahoo or DMOZ directory. All environments should have well-tested efficient renderers, commercial and open source. These inclusions are what determine page rank, just like links in HTML pages.

3. When this software encounters a node that includes another directory, include its hierarchy in that directory.

4. If you run a search engine, index these files. Use page rank to determine which is shown first. Don't segregate these files, include them in the returns for HTML and all other formats you support.

5. Evangelize. Get academics, librarians, researchers, etc to produce data in this this format.

[Scripting News]

Good idea.  I really like directories created in Manila using OPML, but I haven't seen the format replicated anywhere e lse, so while it is open, it looks proprietary.  That needs to be fixed.  If OPML based directories could be rendered propoerly using PHP, for example, that would be good.

1:42:33 PM    comment []  

anti-semitism or anti-disney?. Gregg Easterbrook wrote something on his blog that Roger Simon criticized for being anti-Semitic. It was also, as Glenn Reynolds points out, anti-Disney. The consequence of his writing was that Easterbrook was fired from ESPN (which is owned by The Mouse). Was the cause the anti-Semitism or the anti-Disney-ism? As one of Easterbrook’s self-described “harshest critics” says, the firing was an over-reaction.  [Lessig Blog]

11:58:39 AM    comment []  

Microsoft Adds Four More Protocol Licenses to Its List. As part of its regularly scheduled filing concerning its compliance with the DOJ/state antitrust findings, Microsoft has published the names of four new licensees of its communication protocols. The four new licensees are Cisco Systems, Tandberg Television, Laplink Software and The SCO Group. [Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley]

MSFT mentions SCO as follows: "The most recent licensee, SCO, is a vendor of general purpose servers and clearly competes with Microsoft." in the report to the court.  MSFT refers to SCO as a "vendor of general purpose servers" at least twice in the document.  No direct mention of Unix (not surprising), but the description of SCO makers them sound like a hardware vendor, not the source of one the major operating systems.

10:38:29 AM    comment []