Web Developments For The JANET Community

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Web Developments For The JANET Community

• Brian Kelly
• UK Web Focus
• UKOLN
• University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY
• B.Kelly_at_ukoln.ac.uk
• http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/

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UK Web Focus

• UK Web Focus
• National web coordination post for UK HE
  community
• Based at UKOLN, University of Bath
• Responsibilities include
• Technology watch
• Information dissemination in variety of ways
• Workshops (national, regional)
• Presentations at conferences and seminars
• Online
• Coordination activities
• Representing JISC on W3C
• Brian Kelly appointed on 1st November 1996
• Involved with web since January 1993
• Previously worked at University of Newcastle,
  Leeds, Liverpool, and Loughborough

Voting on new standards Voting on new
activities Seeking involvement from UK HE
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W3C Activities

• Public charters workplans
• Closed discussion groups, draft papers
• Participation encouraged
• See http//www.w3.org/

• User Interface
• HTML
• Style Sheets
• Document Object Model
• Math
• Graphics 3D
• Internationalisation
• Fonts
• Amaya

• Technology Society
• WAI
• Digital Signatures
• Electronic Commerce
• Metadata
• PICS
• IPR
• Privacy Preferences
• Security

• Architecture
• HTTP
• Addressing (URLs)
• Object Technology
• Synchronised Multimedia
• XML
• Jigsaw

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HTML Developments

• HTML 4.0 and Related Work
• FormsImproved forms.
• PrintingBetter control over printing.
• LayoutAbsolute positioning of HTML elements,
  layering, etc.
• ScriptingStandard mechanisms for scripting.
• Document Object Model (DOM) APIs (application
  program interface) for HTML/CSS elements.
  Provides a programming interface for HTML (hooks
  for Javascript, etc.)

• End user control over layout, better printing,
  ...
• Why Increased functionality
• Barriers Lack of standards
• How CSS, HTML 4.0 (Cougar)
• Familiarisation IE 4, Netscape 4, HTML 4.0
  proposal, CSS 2 proposal

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Style Sheets

• The SGML / HTML philosophy is to use HTML to
  define the document structure
• Netscape / Microsoft wars have broken this
• Companies are now supporting CSS
• Ease of maintenance
• Richer functionality (e.g. filter effects as in
  Powerpoint)
• Network friendly
• Accessibility

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Increasing Use Of Java

• Expect to see increasing use of Java
• Why Provide extra functionality on client
  Minimise support load for desktop applications
• Barriers Performance concerns (real and
  imaginary - cf XMosaic)
• How Standard web browser
• Familiarisation http//www.gamelan.com/

Z39.50 clients are being developed using Java
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Metadata Components

• PICS, Digital Signatures, Transparent Content
  Negotiation, resource discovery, website
  administration are all related to metadata

Example Imagine you make your University
prospectus available on the web. What metadata
may be required?
Use Of Metadata PICS Resource accessible to users
in Middle East, which ban unrated
sites DSig Description of course is a legally
binding agreement TCN Resource can transparently
be accessed in HTML or PDF format Web
CollectionsPrint resource as single
document Resource Discovery Search for Bath
prospectus finds it Website Administration Use
of review-by to find out-of-date material
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Development of a Metadata Architecture

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

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A Quicker Web

• Technologies
• Caching Essential!
• HTTP/1.1New protocol is more cache-aware, and
  avoids problems (e.g. stale information) which
  have occurred in the past
• HTTP/NGProposal for new protocol
• Style sheetsAvoids need for large images for
  design effects
• Scripting Languages / JavaExploit processing
  power at client

• More effective use of scarce bandwidth
• Why The web is too slow!
• Barriers Limitations of protocols (HTML, HTTP)
• How Caching, HTTP/1.1, HTTP/NG, Education,
  Charging!
• Familiarisation Monitoring web pages, Internet
  magazines, attending workshops

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Caching

• UK early pioneer in web caching
• HENSA cache launched in 1994
• Paper at WWW 1 presented at CERN (May 94)
• Cache migrated from Lagoon ? CERN ? Netscape
• Paper at WWW 5 presented in Paris (May 96)
• JANET WWW cache
• Launched on Aug 1997
• Hosted at Manchester Loughborough
• Service and development arms
• See http//wwwcache.ja.net/ and
  http//www.net.loughborough.ac.uk/caching/CacheNo
  w/

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A Quicker Web

• More effective use of scarce bandwidth
• Why The web is too slow!
• Barriers Limitations of protocols (HTML, HTTP)
• How Caching, HTTP/1.1, HTTP/NG, Education,
  Charging!
• Familiarisation Monitoring web pages, Internet
  magazines, attending workshops

• Technologies
• Caching Essential!
• HTTP/1.1New protocol is more cache-aware, and
  avoids problems (e.g. stale information) which
  have occurred in the past
• HTTP/NGProposal for new protocol
• Style sheetsAvoids need for large images for
  design effects

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XML

• XML
• Extensible Markup Language
• A lightweight SGML designed for network use
• Support from SGML and browsers vendors
• Proposals for variety of applications
• CML (Chemical Markup Language) MML (Maths ..)
• XML Web Collections Privacy Profiling
• RDF (Resource Description Framework)
• CDF (Channel Definition Format)
• DRP (Distribution and Replication Protocol)
• See http//www.textuality.com/xml/http//www.w3.o
  rg/XML/

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Push Technologies

• Use of push technologies
• Why Push information, teaching and learning
  services to end users
• Barriers Lack of standards, bandwidth concerns
• How CDF, ...
• Familiarisation PointcastIE 4, Netscape
• See http//www.w3.org/Architecture/9709_Workshop
  /

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Will It Take Off In UK HE?

• Barriers to use of new technologies
• Lack of knowledge
• Lack of tools
• Inertia
• Concerns over costs
• Solutions
• Education, information, discussion,
• UCISA-SG WebTools groupCommercial pressures
• Enthusiasts
• Monitoring usage

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UKOLN's WebWatch Project

• WebWatch
• 1 year post funded by British Library (BLRIC)
• Ian Peacock (I.Peacock_at_ukoln.ac.uk)
• Will develop set of robot tools for analysing UK
  web resources
• Usage of emerging web technologies, such as HTML
  4, style sheets, Java, metadata, XML, etc.
• Usage of file formats (e.g. PDF, Shockwave, )
• Web page profiles (typical nos. of links, images,
  size, etc)
• ...
• Analysis of log files (e.g. user agents)
• Results to be made available to various
  communities (institutions, national bodies, etc.)
  
• Feedback on project welcomed

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WebWatch Aims

• Aim to
• Analyse communities
• Public libraries eLib pages
• UK HE home pages Institutional pages
• Provide useful information and statistics
• Size and extend of website
• Technologies used
• Provide set of tools
• Useful for
• Funding bodies, trainers, institutional web
  teams, support staff, advisors. etc

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WebWatch - Architecture

• Makes use of Harvest
• Stores SOIF records describing resources
• file-type4 html
• p-count1 9
• script-count1 2
• ...
• url-refs23 http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/
• file-type5 image
• image-type3 gif
• nos-colours3 128

Counting HTML elements
Recording attribute values
Details for other resources e.g. image
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Log Analysis

• Need to
• Monitor user agents
• Platform issues (Win v Mac, 16 bit v 32 bit)
• Use of HTTP headers
• Useful for
• Establishing timeliness of new technologies
• Caching communities
• Privacy implications
• Can
• Access files directly (subject to AUP)
• Copy anonymised log files for processing

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WebWatch Launch Plans

• 1. UK HE Institutional Home Pages
• What?
• Sizes of objects (HTML, images, etc.)
• Profile (nos. of images, links, graphics, CGI)
• Quality (broken links, HTML conformance)
• HTML element usage (metadata, tables, scripting)
• Stakeholders
• Institutional web teams, web policy groups,
  trainers
• Caching communities
• 2. UK Public Library Web Sites
• What?
• Extent of web site (size, nos. of pages, )
• ...

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Conclusions

• The web is still developing rapidly
• Conformance to standards is important
• Institutions will have to continually monitor new
  developments (regional workshops, seminars?)
• The deployment of new technologies in a timely
  manner is a challenge (need for workshops, case
  studies?)
• There is a danger that the costs will increase
  when exploiting new developments
• There is a need to monitor developments and to
  advise the community
• WebWatch can assist by monitoring developments
  within the community

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Questions

• Any Questions?
• Feedback on WebWatch