XML, Open Standards and How XFDL Fits In

XML, Open Standards and How XFDL Fits In

Xml，开放标准以及XFDL如何切入

What is the value proposition of an open standard?

一个开放标准的价值取向是什么呢？

XML is fairly pervasive, so we rarely ask this question of XML anymore, but once upon a time the question came up a lot as business managers tried to figure out why the technical people were insisting on spending money to move to XML. And the truth is that the impact is difficult to measure precisely, so open standards are sometimes a bit of an uphill battle. Nevertheless, the software engineering benefits are tangible and increase in magnitude over time.

由于XML相当普遍，所以我们很少再问这个XML问题。但曾经很多人问这个问题，因为商业经理想知道为何技术人员都坚持花钱也要转到XML上。但事实上，XML影响是很难精确度量的，因此开放标准有时是一个障碍，然而，软件工程的价值是有形的，而且随着时间，它的规模是可以增加的。

One benefit is, of course, the human resource factor. Given a schema or DTD for a pile of pointy brackets, human beings can learn a lot about your document format quickly, which means they can become proficient more quickly and be more efficient overall at moving information into and out of the document.

当然，其中一个价值是人力资源因素。例如，给出一个用于大量尖括号的schma或DTD文件，人们能很快从你的文档中学到很多，这意味着他们更快地精通和更有效地把在文档中转出和转入信息。

This has an impact on the development of software systems. The software engineering benefits of increased interoperability/looser coupling of system modules have a significant positive effect on the time and cost efficiency of software development. Really, it's the same benefits as a service oriented architecture, which is why SOA and XML documents are such a good match.

这已经影响到软件系统的开发。提高系统模块之际的互操作型和松耦合，这种软件工程价值已经对软件开发的时间成本效率产生很大的积极影响。实际上，这与SOA的价值一样，这就是为什么SOA和XML文档的关系如此紧密。

But XML standardization has a deeper impact as it also places a value on the document format. In other words, the document format becomes a product in and of itself. A software system based on an XML document format is more valuable than one that is not because it is easier for enterprises to migrate to or from the document format. The benefit to a vendor of enterprises being able to migrate to the vendor's format is immediately obvious, but the ability of the enterprise to migrate from the vendor's format is also surprisingly valuable to the vendor. This is true not just for the obvious reason that being trapped in a document format is inherently costly to an enterprise. So, the enterprise can more readily adopt a vendor's solution when it does not imply vendor lock-in, but frankly it is the capability to more easily migrate away from the vendor's solution that becomes a selling point. A vendor can say, "We know you have a choice, so we're going to be responsive to your needs and deliver quality software so you keep choosing us."

但是XML的标准化的影响更深，由于它已经在文档格式中产生价值。也就是说，文档格式本身就是一个产品。一个基于XML文档格式的软件系统比不是基于XML格式的软件系统更具有价值，由于对于企业来说，它更容易实现文档格式的转换。例如，厂商可以很方便把文档转换到它自己的格式，在这方面上，厂商的受益是很明显的，但是企业可以从厂商的文档格式转移到XML格式的能力也对厂商产生很多的价值。真正地说，企业陷入到文档格式中，花费是很大的。因此，当厂家没有占据这种文档格式时，企业能够更方便地采纳厂家地解决方案，，然而坦白地说，更容易地从厂家解决方案中移植，这种能力会成为卖点。一个厂家可能说，“我们知道你们可以选择，所以我们打算满足你们的要求以及提供高质量的软件，所以你们一直选择我们。”

It is with all these benefits in mind that we moved the predecessor of Workplace Forms to an XML syntax called XFDL. The XFDL language is an XML vocabulary that simplifies the design, development and deployment of high precision, secure forms applications that provide a rich user experience.

由于所有这些好处，所以我们把以前Workplace Forms的格式转移到XML语法格式，即XFDL。XFDL语言是一种XML格式，可以简化安全表单应用的设计、开发提高用户体验。

Of course, the first thing we did with our new XML syntax was to report it to the W3C in a document which became a W3C Note. The purpose of a W3C Note is to bring to the attention of the W3C something that contains aspects worth of consideration for standardization. The W3C does not and never will standardize a vendor's submission. But it does take note of its own notes! A positively reviewed note is likely to result in some movement in the standardization world. In the case of XFDL, that movement has occurred all over the place, including the likes of XPath, XML Schema, XML Signatures and Canonicalization, and XForms.

当然，我们所作的第一件事就是把我们新的XML格式在W3C上公布，使它成为W3C的Nots。W3C Notes的目的就是用来引起W3C的注意，包括考虑成为标准化所带来的各方面价值。W3C从来不会把一个厂家的提交方案作为标准。但是它会考虑它自己的Nots！一个积极的评论可能导致在标准化世界上的进步。例如XFDL的进步出现在许多领域，包括XPath, XML Schema, XML Signatures and Canonicalization 和 XForms.

Of course, XFDL now incorporates XForms to express all aspects of XFDL that it can. And like a good standard ought to do, XForms itself incorporates other W3C technologies where appropriate, like XPath and XML Schema. But XForms depends on a host language to deliver the actual user experience, and there are aspects of a precision presentation and rich user experience that properly belong at the host language level. And XFDL even encodes these bits with the most pervasive standard of all -- XML.

当然，目前 XFDL 与 Xforms 结合来表示 XFDL 可能表达的各个方面，跟其他出色的标准一样， Xforms 本身也采用了 W3C 的其他技术，其中包括 XPath and XML Schema 。但是 Xforms 需要依赖一种 host 语言来提供实际的用户体验，以及精确的表述和丰富的用户体验等许多方面都属于 host 语言。因此 XFDL 甚至可以编码这些大多数的普遍的标准。