Archive for XML
When Markup Languages Attack
Posted by: | CommentsYou of course know HTML, you may know some XML and SGML, and you figure there are probably a handful others out there that a few people use. If by “handful” you mean a few hundred, then yes, you are right. All of them serve real technical needs and a great many of them enjoy widespread support.
Some of the ideas behind some of these markup languages are, shall we say, a bit more interesting. As a break from some of our more serious articles, we figured you’d appreciate a trip down 21st century web trivia. Let’s see if you can guess what each of the acronyms below stands for before reading each section:
OFML
You’ll have a hard time with this one. Even though it was created in 1995, you still may have never before heard of Office Furniture Modeling Language. Its purpose is as it sounds. It was meant to be a language that accomplished a lot of the same type of modeling techniques used by CAD but which took into account specific needs of the office furniture industry. While it is still around today we were only able to find any significant use of it in Germany.
AIML
This one you might guess from the name. Yes, AIML does indeed stand for “Artificial Intelligence Markup Language.” Don’t worry, though, this language won’t bring about the end of the world just yet, though it may wind up in you getting fooled now and then: AIML exists primarily to aid in the development of natural language use by machines, and has shown some success with it.
AGML
You probably won’t find anything with as specific a use as AGML. You could also try all day and probably not guess what it stands for. Annotated Gel Markup Language exists solely to markup data obtained by a very specific chemical process called “two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.” To be fair we’re kind of cheating here: there’s not a lot of evidence yet that this markup language is being used by much of anyone. Then again, how much “everyone” for this is there?
WDTF
In terms of obscure uses WDTF might be a close second. This is another one you won’t guess if you’re not an Australian meteorologist. WDTF stands for Water Data Transfer Format, and was developed to transmit water data between private and public entities in Australia. As oddly specific as it sounds, it’s actually already in use in some areas.
Yes, all of you budding chefs have guessed right. You now have your own markup language. While so far it hasn’t caught on much, you have to admit that it’s original name used one of the coolest acronyms ever: Document Encoding and Structuring Specification for Electronic Recipe Transfer … DESSERT.
EML
We’ll end with one that somehow sounds a bit creepier than AIML. EML is designed to make more efficient the communication that goes on between user and machine. That may not seem so bad at first until its revealed to you exactly what this stands for: Emotion Markup Language.
We’d like to finish this by saying that now we’ve seen everything. However, knowing man’s desire for technological innovation whether or not it’s actually a good idea, we’ll leave the door open on this one. It’s not like we have much choice.
Related posts:
Linux Web Hosting – What Makes it Click?
Posted by: | CommentsLinux Web Hosting is appropriately named. Websites built using the Linux operating systems are said to be hosed on Linux, as simple as that! Some features of Linux web hosting make it a great choice for people looking to develop web sited to establish their presence in the expansive online markets. Linux allows users access to some really useful technologies such as PHP, MySQL, Python and XML, all of which are open source.
Linux hosting derives a lot from the Unix system. Over the past few years Linux has grown to be recognized as an attractive budget hosting platform. Users get ample breathing space to experiment and expand the scope of their online businesses through Linux web hosting packages. The subsequent part of this article discusses a couple of the differentiating features associated with Linux Web Hosting.
Open Source
Linux based web hosts rely on the open source Linux OS to power their servers. An integrated structure defines the Linux web hosting plans, and this is generally referred to as LAMP which signifies the coming together of the Linux operating system, Apache server software, MySQL database and PHP scripting into a unified constructive backbone. Linux based hosts connect you to scores of wonderful open source applications and scripts that let you literally expand in all dimensions as far as the utility of your web pages goes. Some of the more popular open source technologies you would find interesting and useful include CGI, Perl and PHP. Bugs and glitches are not nightmares any more with Linux web hosting, as the open source community often has solutions ready promptly.
Great Services At Affordable Price
Another factor is the affordable costs of Linux based web hosting packages, making the proposition sounds a lot more worthwhile than an ordinary Windows based hosting package. Linux hosts outrun their Windows based counterparts on many grounds. For instance, Linux servers allow you the flexibility to work with Telnet whereas Windows servers would leave you high and dry if such a need arrives. And then, there is concrete evidence that Linux web hosting makes your website a lot more agile. Add to it the fact that there are applications such as Evolution, GNOME Desktop and Open Office to complement your web business with Linux hosting, and there is hardly anything that would inhibit you from trying it out.
Related posts:
Managing Multilingual Documents
Posted by: | CommentsVasont Systems recently released enhancements to its XML content management system (CMS) offerings. The new version, Vasont ST2.1, allows users to store multilingual content for retrieval and organization which delivers it to several media channels. The release significantly improves the system’s project management and editorial environments for all users and administrators of the software.
System Enhancements
Vasont ST2.1 was released for licensing and SaaS on July 25th, 2011 with the following enhancements:
- Preview
- Versions
- Annotations
- Project management and workflow
- Content configuration
Preview
In the new version, users will be able to preview content in a multitude of styles for different reasons. For instance, the preview feature can be used to highlight relevant content for specific departments to indicate the status or identify recently changed content. Also, users have the ability to easily navigate from various types of content to related content in a tree view.
Versions
Version Compare is an internal function that allows users to apply specific formats based on individual preference. This includes change bars to indicate the differences between two versions of content allowing for easy identification of changes made over a specified time period.
Annotations
Annotations allow users to collaborate with others from a popup window. Also, the Annotations Report gives users complete information with regards to the status of selected content. Annotations is one of the best features for communication and reporting.
Project Management and Workflow
For project-level and task-based information, project management and workflow captures and sorts projects for improved tracking capabilities. The permissions given to managers in active workflows have expanded allowing for more flexibility to adjust business processes.
Content Configuration
The collective enhancements to the CMS give administrators access to creating and updating alias attributes much more quickly. Therefore, systematic configurations will be easier and more efficiently implemented.
The enhanced Vasont CMS was designed to improve productivity and effectively control costs allowing for multilingual technical documentation and other business information. The system features a single-source functionality which only stores the content once, increasing efficiency in the overall business process.
Headquartered in Pennsylvania, Vasont Systems provides XML content management software services and features over 60 years of industry experience. Since business is slowly becoming more global, it is important that all companies have systems that are multilingual. The latest version of the Vasont CMS captures a variety of languages to ensure it is easy to use by users across the globe.
Related articles:
How Content Management Systems affect Web Designers
Posted by: | CommentsContent Management Systems (CMS) are growing extensively around the internet. They allow a vast amount of storage with the addition of tremendous functionality and customization. CMS is the next step in separating design from structure. The system began with cascading style sheets (CSS) and advanced further as a result of XML. In the years ahead billions of dollars are expected to be spent on the implementation of CMS into businesses.
Excellent Customization
A CMS are available in small or large and simple or complicated depending on business need. The price runs from very expensive (in the millions) to free with open-source CMS. Regardless, they are all based on the idea that content management allows web designers to focus on design. In the meantime, subject professionals built in a completely separate environment. The server then acquires the content, inserts it into a template and transfers it to the user.
CMS Workflow
The typical content management workflow by a web design consists of a designer creating something in whatever environment they feel comfortable with. Once the wrinkles are ironed out, it is sent to the server. If there are issues, notes are sent back in the content management environment. Concurrently, on the content side, the same process occurs. In the end, there are strict controls to prevent issues and ensure it goes to the server.
Web Designers and Content Experts
Designers are given the freedom to specialize within the content management environment. As content professionals add websites in a WYSIWYG platform, designers do what they do best: design. Content experts can add the content in a simplified manner, not using FrontPage or other website creation programs.
The good news for designers is content management systems remove most of the non-design tasks found in the standard process. Designers spend their time building templates building templates for various parts of the website. Due to the template-based environment of a CMS, changes can be made and seen by end-users almost instantly. All changes go through the typical workflow process and end in a publishing.
Content Management Systems were built to make everyone’s lives easier. Designers and content experts now have the ability to focus on their specialization and not have to concern themselves with non-value added tasks. This increases productivity while releasing various websites in a timely fashion. As content management systems become easier to use, the result will be an improved experience by the end user.
Search Engine Optimization – XML Site Maps
Posted by: | CommentsIn the never ending battle of increasing traffic to web sites, one of the more crucial elements needed to ensure success is the site map. Exactly what is an XML site map? How does one create an XML site map? Answering these questions will enable us to create an XLM site map that search engines will be able to index properly.
What is a site map?
A site map is the listing of all the pages held within a web site. It is created with the intent of easily informing search engines about pages that are on a web site and available for crawling or indexing. The listing starts at the home or base page and then branches out accordingly. This listing can be done in several different formats – XML, text file or a syndication feed (RSS). One or all formats can be chosen but in order to be effective, the site map(s) created must be in a format that allows search engine spiders to properly index all the listed pages. As XML is a standard by most search engines, XML is the best formatting choice.
A bit about protocol
To be truly effective, an XML site map should follow the standard site map protocol. It must begin with the opening tag <urlset> and end with the closing tag </urlset>. Within the <urlset> tag the proper namespace should be declared – in most cases this would be “http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9″. The numbering at the end of this url indicates the latest site map schema version as indicated by the sitemaps.org site (the official site for site map protocols and more). Within the <urlset> beginning and closing tags, each page within the web site is listed. This listing begins with the <url> tag and ends with the </url> closing tag. The <url> set then contains all the vital information regarding the specific page. This includes the actual url, the last date the page was modified, how often the page changes and a priority numbering. At a minimum, each <url> set must contain the url of the page or <loc>. The remaining information is optional. More information on protocols and the proper creation of a site map can be viewed at http://www.sitemaps.org.
How to create one
The creation of a site map is quite easy. If your web site is only a few pages, you can create an XML site map manually. However, if your web site is rather extended, the best option would be to use one of many different programs available on the web.
There are many programs you can download and use on your computer to create your site map. Alternatively you can use an online site map creator. One such online option is available at XML-Sitemaps. This site offers a straightforward four step operation – you type in your base url, select how often your site is changed, indicate the last modification date, select the priority number and click start. Once your site maps is created, you simply download it to your main site folder. This site creates XML site maps that work perfectly with Google and will enable you to use the Google webmaster tools to enhance your SEO efforts further. One thing to keep in mind with XML-Sitemaps is the online version will only index up to 500 pages. If your site is much larger than this, you would be better off downloading a piece of software that will index larger sites.
Conclusion
Creating an XML site map for your site is just one step in the SEO process. It is simple to do either manually or with some online help. A properly created XML site map will ensure your site is thoroughly indexed by search engines and will contribute to your SEO efforts.