An Update On Web Standards

1
An Update On Web Standards

• Brian Kelly
• UKOLN
• University of Bath
• Bath, BA2 7AY

Email B.Kelly_at_ukoln.ac.uk URL http//www.ukoln.ac.
uk/
2
Contents

• Introduction
• Standards
• The Original Web Architecture
• Architectural Developments
• Deployment Issues
• Discussion

• Aims of Talk
• To give brief overview of Web architecture
• To describe developments to Web standards
• To briefly address implementation issues

Please feel free to ask questions at any time,
especially to clarify any unexplained TLAs or
XTLAs
3
About Me

• Brian Kelly
• UK Web Focus a JISC-funded post to advise HE
  and FE communities on Web developments
• Based in UKOLN - a national focus of expertise in
  digital information management based at the
  University of Bath
• Involved in Web since 1993, while working in the
  Computing Service at University of Leeds
• Represent JISC on the World Wide Web Consortium
  (W3C)

4
Standards in HE/FE Context

• Standards are important in the HE and FE sector
  to
• Ensure widespread access to resources
• Enables resources to be reused and repurposed
• Ensure scholarly resources can be preserved
• Address accountability of public funding
• Minimise resource costs for upgrading systems
• Provide universal access to resources (cf
  disability legislation)

5
Standards
Before the Web Access to resources typically
required use of software vendors software
which was only available on limited no. of
platforms. Often the software would be
licensed. The goal of the Web was to provide
universal access to resources. Who could argue
with this goal?

• Need for standards to provide
• Platform and application independence
• Avoidance of patented technologies
• Flexibility and architectural integrity
• Long-term access to data
• Ideally look at standards first, then find
  applications which support the standards.
  However it can be difficult to achieve this ideal!

6
Standards and the Web

• Proprietary
• De facto standards
• Often initially appealing (cf PowerPoint, PDF)
• May emerge as standards

HTML extensions PDF and Java?
PNG HTML Z39.50 Java

• W3C
• Produces W3C Recommendations on Web protocols
• Managed approach to developments
• Protocols initially developed by W3C members
• Decisions made by W3C, informedby member
  public review

• ISO
• Produces ISO Standards
• Can be slow moving and bureaucratic
• Produce robust standards

• IETF
• Produces Internet Drafts on Internet protocols
• Bottom-up approach to developments
• Protocols may be developed by interested
  individuals
• "Rough consensus and working code"

HTTP URNwhois
HTML, XML, PNG,
7
The Case For W3C Standards

• Why use open standards developed by the W3C? Why
  not leave it to the marketplace?
• W3Cs open standards have been developed in an
  open environment, with the aim of achieving
  platform and application independency
• Commercial companies develop proprietary formats
  in order to maximise their profits and dividends
  to shareholders
• W3Cs open standards have been developed to
  interoperate with each other according to W3Cs
  design vision
• Commercial companies typically develop
  proprietary formats in isolation, or along the
  lines of a company vision

8
Challenges For The W3C

• W3C can be regarded as a force for good
• Neutral trusted body
• Have a vision
• But W3C are facing a number of challenges
• The increasing complexity of the Web
• Ambiguities in specs, overlapping areas,
• Reaching consensus
• Developing solutions now or developing the best
  solution
• Patents

9
Standards, Architectures, Applications, Resources

• This talk touches on several areas

Architectures models for implementing systems
Standards concerned with protocols and file
formats
Which standards are applicable NT / UnixFile
system / database application HTML tools /
content management
Open standards vs. Proprietary HTML / XML vs.
PDF CSS / XSL vs. HTML GIF vs PNG
Resources financial and staff costs needed to
implement systems
Applications software products used to implement
systems
Apache / IIS FrontPage / Dreamweaver Oracle /
SQLServer ColdFusion vs ASP
Development vs. Migration costs Use of in-house
expertise In-house vs. out-sourced Licensed vs.
open source
10
GIF

• As an example of the dangers of use of
  proprietary solutions, consider the GIF file
  format
• Unisys announce that they hold patent to
  compression algorithm used in GIF images and
  users of GIF will have to pay
• Following much debate, Unisys require payment for
  licence from software developers - and also for
  end users of unlicensed software (5,000!)
• Web community responds with PNG format
• See lthttp//burnallgifs.org/gt
• WARNING
• There is no guarantee that payment will not be
  required for proprietary file formats which are
  currently free

11
How Does The Web Work?

• The Web has three fundamental concepts
• URLs addresses of resources
• HTTP dialogue between client and server
• HTML format of resources

1 User clicks on link to the address
(URL)http//www.netsoft.com/hello.html
Web Browser
2 Browser converts link to HTTP command
(METHOD) Connect to computer at
www.netsoft.com GET /hello.html
The Netsoft home page
3 Remote computer sends file
ltHTMLgt ltTITLEgtWelcomelt/TITLEgt.. ltPgtThe ltA
HREFgtNetsoftlt/Agt home pagelt/Pgt
Web server
4 Local computer displays HTML file
12
Approaches To HTML

• Emphasis on managing HTML resources
  inappropriate
• HTML is an output format, which cannot easily be
  reused (e.g. WAP, e-Books, etc.)
• Need to manage HTML fragments (only partly
  achievable with SSIs)
• Need to manage collections of resources
• Need to have single master source of data
• Need to support new developments such as
  personalisation
• Difficult to integrate with new formats

• Issues
• Should we stop giving HTML courses?
• Should we stop buying HTML authoring tools?

13
XML

• XML
• Extensible Markup Language
• A lightweight SGML designed for network use
• Addresses HTML's lack of evolvability
• Arbitrary elements can be defined
  (ltSTUDENT-NUMBERgt, ltPART-NOgt, etc)
• Agreement achieved quickly - XML 1.0 became W3C
  Recommendation in Feb 1998
• Support from industry (SGML vendors, Microsoft,
  etc.)
• Support in latest versions of Web browsers

14
XML Concepts (1)

• Well-formed XML resources
• Make end-tags explicit ltligt...lt/ligt
• Make empty elements explicit ltimg ... /gt
• Quote attributes ltimg src"logo.gif" height"20"
• Use consistent upper/lower case ltpgt and ltPgt are
  different
• XML Namespaces
• Mechanism for ensuring unique XML elements
• lt?xmlnamespace ns"http//foo.org/1998-001"
  prefix"i"gt
• ltpgtInsert ltiPARTgtM-471lt/iPARTgtlt/pgt

15
XML Concepts (2)

• XML Schemas
• Allow constraints to be applied on XML attributes
• Express shared vocabularies and allow machines to
  carry out rules made by people
• Richer than DTDs
• See lthttp//www.w3.org/XML/Schemagt
• XSLT
• A language for transforming XML from one DTD to
  another, or to another format (e.g. PDF)
• Written in XML
• Knows about XML (e.g. tree structures, etc.)
• See lthttp//www.xslt.com/gt

16
XML Concepts (3)
England

• XLink provides sophisticated hyperlinking
• Links that allow you to choose multiple
  destinations
• Bidirectional links
• Links with special behaviours
• Expand-in-place / Replace / Create new window
• Link on load / Link on user action
• Link databases
• See lthttp//www.xml.com/pub/a/2000/09/xlink/gt
• XPointer
• Provides access to arbitrary portions of XML
  resource
• See lthttp//www.devshed.com/Server_Side/XML/XPoin
  ter/page1.htmlgt

France
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Getting to XML With XHTML

• XHTML
• HTML represented in XML
• Some small changes to HTML
• Elements in lowercase ltpgt not ltPgt
• Attributes must be quoted ltimg src"logo"
  height"50"gt
• Elements must be closed
• lt p gt... lt/ p gt)
• ltimg src"logo" ... /gt
• Gain benefits from XML
• Tools available (e.g. HTML-Kit from
  http//www.chami.com/html-kit/)
• See lthttp//www.webreference.com/xml/column6/gt,
  lthttp//groups.yahoo.com/group/XHTML-L/gt and
  lthttp//www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue27/web-focus/gt

18
CSS

• CSS
• Cascading Style Sheets
• XHTML/XML defines structure, CSS describes the
  appearance
• CSS 1.0 and 2.0 now W3C recommendations
• CSS 3.0 in preparation (modularised)
• We should be using CSS
• Part of architecture
• Ease of maintenance
• Becoming much richer
• Accessibility
• See lthttp//www.w3c.org/Style/CSS/gt

19
SVG

• SVG
• Scalable Vector Graphics
• A language for describing two-dimensional
  graphics in XML
• See lthttp//www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/Overview.htm8
  gt
• Also see presentation on XML written in SVG at
  lthttp//www.w3c.org/Talks/2001/12/IH-Euroweb/W3CI
  nTheWorldslide.svgzgt
• WWW 2002 talk at lthttp//www.w3c.org/2002/Talks/w
  ww2002-SVG/gt

20
(No Transcript)
21
SVG Example
http//www.karto.ethz.ch/neumann/cartography/vienn
a/
22
SVG and XSLT

• This example
• Originally written in Java
• Author realised that XSLT would be easier
• Uses SVG for chess board and pieces
• Uses XSLT to move pieces

http//people.w3.org/maxf/ChessGML/
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CML, SVG and XSLT
http//www.adobe.com/svg/demos/cml2svg/html/index.
html

• A molecule described in CML can be transformed
  using XSLT into SVG, allowing it to be displayed
  and manipulated

24
SMIL

• SMIL
• Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language
• A language for authoring of interactive
  audiovisual presentations
• Allows you to synchronize text, images, audio and
  video in a document
• An XML Application
• See lthttp//www.w3c.org/AudioVideo/gt

25
SMIL Example
26
MathML

• MathML
• An XML application for maths
• Various plugins, dedicated readers, etc.
• Mozilla renders natively

See lthttp//www.mozilla.org/projects/mathml/gt
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Modularisation

• How can you
• Include XML resources such as MathML, ChemML, etc
  in XHTML documents?
• Provide a subset of XHTML features in browsers on
  devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, etc.?
• The answer is
• XHTML modularisation (modularization )
• See lthttp//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml-modularization/gt
  andlthttp//www.xml.com/pub/a/2002/01/16/xhtml-m1
  2n.htmlgt

28
Addressing (1)

• URLs have limitations
• Lack of long-term persistency
• Univ. changes name or department shut down or
  merged
• Directory structure reorganised
• Inability to support multiple versions
  (mirroring)
• URIs
• Were an address of a resource and moving a
  resource was annoying but not critical
• With the development of Web services,
  structured resources, B2B communications, etc.
  the availability of URIs will be of great
  importance

29
Addressing (2)

• Solutions
• Unique identifiers possible, but resolution
  difficult
• Solutions include DOIs, PURLs, OpenURLs, etc.
• Interest mostly in publishing sector
• "URIs dont break - people break them"
• Think about URL persistency naming
  guidelineslthttp//www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue31/web
  -focus/gt

30
Transport - The Original Roadmap

• HTTP/0.9 and HTTP/1.0
• Design flaws and implementation problems
• HTTP/1.1
• Addresses some of these problems
• 60 server support
• Performance benefits! (60 packet traffic
  reduction)
• Is acting as fire-fighter
• Not sufficiently flexible or extensible
• HTTP/NG
• Radical redesign using object-oriented
  technologies
• Undergoing trials
• Gradual transition (using proxies)

31
Transport - Today

• Today
• Responsibility for development moved from W3C to
  IETF
• Little progress with HTTP/NG
• Problems with HTTP/1.1
• Lengthy (176-page) specification without much
  explicit rationale for design decisions
• Environment has become more complex
• Lack of a clean underlying data model
• See Clarifying the Fundamentals of HTTP
  lthttp//www2002.org/CDROM/refereed/444/gt

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SOAP

• SOAP
• Simple Object Access Protocol
• Facilitates development of machine-to-machine
  communications using Web protocols by providing a
  richer XML-based messaging mechanism
• A protocol for invoking methods on servers,
  services, components and objects
• Codifies existing practice of using XML and HTTP
  as a method invocation mechanism
• See FAQ at lthttp//www.develop.com/soap/soapfaq.h
  tmgt

33
Metadata

• Metadata - the missing architectural component
  from the initial implementation of the web

• Metadata Needs
• Resource discovery
• Content filtering
• Authentication
• Improved navigation
• Multiple format support
• Rights management

34
Metadata Examples

• DSig (Digital Signatures initiative)
• Key component for providing trust on the web
• DSig 2.0 will be based on RDF and will support
  signed assertion
• This page is from the University of Bath
• This page is a legally-binding list of courses
  provided by the University
• P3P (Platform for Privacy Preferences)
• Developing methods for exchanging Privacy
  Practices of Web sites and user
• Note that discussions about additional rights
  management metadata are currently taking place

35
RDF

• RDF (Resource Description Framework)
• Highlight of WWW 7 conference
• Provides a metadata framework ("machine
  understandable metadata for the web")
• Based on ideas from content rating (PICS),
  resource discovery (Dublin Core) and site mapping
  (MCF)
• Applications include
• cataloging resources ? resource discovery
• electronic commerce ? intelligent agents
• digital signatures ? content rating
• intellectual property rights ? privacy
• See ltURL http//www.w3.org/Talks/1998/0417-WWW7-
  RDFgt

36
RDF Model
RDF Data Model

• RDF
• Based on a formal data model (direct label
  graphs)
• Syntax for interchange of data
• Schema model

PropertyType
Resource
Value
Property
page.html
Cost
0.05
Cost
ValidUntil
page.html
0.05
23-Mar-99
PropObj
InstanceOf
Value
Property
ValidUntil
PropName
23-Mar-99
Cost
37
Browser Support for RDF
Trusted 3rd Party Metadata

• Mozilla (Netscape's source code release) provides
  support for RDF.
• Mozilla supports site maps in RDF, as well as
  bookmarks and history lists
• See Netscape's or HotWired home page for a link
  to the RDF file.

Embedded Metadata e.g. sitemaps
Image from http//purl.oclc.org/net/eric/talks/www
7/devday/
38
RDF Conclusion

• RDF is a general-purpose framework
• RDF provides structured, machine-understandable
  metadata for the Web
• Metadata vocabularies can be developed without
  central coordination
• RDF Schemas describe the meaning of each property
  name
• Signed RDF is the basis for trust

• But
• Is it too complex?
• Is it the right approach?

39
RSS An XML/RDF Application

• RSS (Rich / RDF Site Summary)
• Initially XML, now an RDF application
• Used for news feeds
• Lightweight approach that we should be
  investigating (e.g. see news page on IWMW 2002
  Web site)

See example of an RSS authoring tool and parser
at lthttp//rssxpress.ukoln.ac.uk/gt
40
Model For News Feeds
RSS
RSS
Community(e.g. MIMAS)
Institution (e.g. Bath)
Zope CMS outputs to RSS XHTML
XHTML converted to RSS

• Good For User
• The end user can choose her news feeds, including
  local news, news from JISC services and news from
  third parties
• Good For Service
• The service can chose its own information
• flow model. Its news is disseminated
  automatically.

RSS
External(e.g. BBC)
Structured database converted to RSS
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What About Tomorrow?

• Two interesting areas
• The Semantic Web
• Will allow intelligent agents to know about
  resources
• AI and ontologists meet the Web
• Uses RDF (Resource Description Framework) W3Cs
  framework for metadata
• Some concerns over scale of problem
• See lthttp//www.w3.org/2001/sw/gt
• Web Services
• Highlight of the WWW 10 and WWW 2002 conferences

42
Web Services

• The Web
• Initially used for viewing static resources
• Then interactive services built (e.g. e-learning)
• We now want
• Programmable Web services which can be used by
  other Web services using standards Web protocols

We have experience of the first generation of
externally-hosted Web services (stats services,
voting systems, etc.) - see lthttp//www.ariadne.a
c.uk/issue23/web-focus/gt. The next generation
will be programmable and machine-understandable No
te that concerns over outsourcing may be an issue
43
Example

• Some examples at gotdotnet.com
• Mailsender
• Thumbnail Generator
• Concepts been around for some time (see Auditing
  Evaluating Web Sites workshop)
• Now being standardised (UDDI, WSDL, SOAP, )

http//www.gotdotnet.com/playground/services/thum
bnailgen.aspx
44
Weve Been Here Before

• Reusable components available on the network
• Sounds like COM/DCOM, CORBA, etc. for reusable
  program components
• Network services for use within a community
• Sounds like JISCmail, RDN, EDINA, MIMAS, BIDS,
  Mirror Service and other JISC Services
• Its outsourcing but its OK!

• Web Services And UK HE / FE Communities
• Sounds like a great idea
• Weve the organisational framework to develop
  national services (JISC, etc.)
• Weve got the network
• Weve a community which is willing to exploit
  centrally-provided services and wants to avoid
  reinventing the wheel (havent we?)

45
Currently...
Local content
International content
National content
We should be moving away from providing separate
Web services with their own interfaces
End user
46
Currently...
National content
International content
Local content
Collection Description(e.g. Agora)
User Profile(e.g. Headline)
Agora and headline are eLib Hybrid libraries
Authentication (Athens)
and separate metadata repositories and access
services (which are sometimes centralised)

• End user

47
Future...
Metadata Services / Access (Web) Services
Content
Application Services?
Collection description
Bookmarks
Brokered access provide byinstitutional
portal (MLE, )
User profile
Spell-checker
Authentication
.. and move to Web-accessible,
machine-understandable Web services as well as
seamless access to content
End user
48
Other W3C Areas

• See
• W3C site map at lthttp//www.w3c.org/Help/siteindex
  gt
• TimBLs Web Design Issues at lthttp//www.w3c.org/D
  esignIssuesgt
• Web Architecture from 50,000 feet at
  lthttp//www.w3.org/DesignIssues/Architecture.htmlgt
  

49
Architectures

• Let us consider the following areas
• Content Management
• Systems Architecture
• Access (Browser support)

50
Position Today

• What should we be doing today?
• Move away from creating new content in HTML
• Move to XHTML as part of the migration
• Deploying XML applications
• Storing structured information in a neutral
  database
• Using a CMS to manage our content
• Deploying B2B applications to avoid human
  bottleneck (such as RSS)

Note that these are aspirations. We will, of
course, be constrained by existing systems,
resource implications, vested interests, inertia,
etc.
51
The CMS To The Rescue

• HTML authoring tools have limitations (as has
  HTML).
• A CMS (Content Management System)
• Allows fragments to be managed
• Allows collections to be managed
• Allows resources to be stored in a neutral format
  (backend database)
• Allows resources to be reused
• Often provides access control
• Often provides workflow processes and project
  management

• Issues
• CMS can be expensive
• CMS can be free but have support implications
• Which one to choose?

52
Content Management

• Storing resources in HTML and GIF/JPEG is
• Easy to do and is a low cost solution
• Makes reuse and management of resources difficult

HTML
GIF /JPEG
53
Systems Architecture

• Issues for you to consider
• Operating SystemShould you go for a Unix OS or
  Windows NT?If Unix, should you go for Linux?
• Open Source vs Licensed SolutionShould you go
  for an open source solution or buy a licensed
  application?
• Package vs Do It YourselfShould you make use of
  a pre-packages solution or develop your own
  solution based on a toolkit (e.g. database,
  scripting language, )?

There are no global solutions your choice
should be based on expertise available locally,
resourcing issues, discussions with partners,
solutions provider, etc.
54
Browser Issues

• Which approach to browser issues should you take?

Web sites should be usable to old browsers as
these are still in use and we aim to maximise
access. Therefore you should deliver HTML 2.0 /
3.2 avoid technologies such as JavaScript and
CSS.
Old browsers are broken and fail to implement
technologies which provide (a) richer
functionality (b) support for new devices and (c)
better support for people with disabilities.
Therefore you should use the latest stable
versions of XHTML, CSS, etc.
55
Conclusions

• To conclude
• Standards are important
• HTML wont do the job
• XHTML is a useful transition
• Many new standards being developed
• Need to keep up to date and avoid devoloping
  systems with built-in obsolescence
• Well need a CMS to manage richly functional
  institutional Web services
• Web services should be important and we
  shouldnt be too concerned about using remote
  services

56
Questions

• Any questions?