Just in case you missed the announcement, BPEL4WS 1.1 spec was recently released and is located here (494K PDF) . You can provide feedback here past some legal words. Note that this is the version being submitted to OASIS.
Month: April 2003
Eclipse 2.1 – Standalone SWT Packages
Eclispe team released binary and source packages for building standalone SWT applications. Good stuff. SWT API is a little akward compared to Swing, but not too bad considering the benefit: responsive GUI. Downloadable packages for most of the key platforms are at bottom of the usual download page. Enjoy.
Online CC Transaction Liability Shifted
Its a done deal. I am still fuzzy on the exact date, but now merchants who try to verify cardholder using 3D-Secure (i.e. Visa's Verified-by-Visa, MasterCard's SecureCode) will not be liable when the transaction is disputed, even if the credit card has not yet been enrolled. Is that great or what? Most e-tailers literally paid through their nose every month because online credit card transactions were not considered "card present". This means we'll see less red-ink on e-tailers' books. How this will affect online porn and casino sites boggles my mind.
More White Men on Sale
I thought I met Doc Searls at one of Dave's blogger dinner, but I just realized that I probably confused Scott Mace with Doc. Its either my brain aging prematurely or I can't really tell white guys apart. Actually, I think I am pretty good with faces, but they sometime get jumbled up when I try to fetch them. Mysteriously enough, I am much better at recognizing women's faces. Maybe hormone affects my memory in some positive way.
My wife often does same thing with stores. One time she used an Office Depot coupons at OfficeMax. OfficeMax guys had a good laugh and accepted the coupon. There are some good folks at OfficeMax although I wish stores like them have sales less often. Its like that half-filled glass of water. I see 50% off sale as attempts to entice me into buying unnecessary junk to fill my house with. My wife see the sale as an opportunity to get something we might want later.
BPEL4WS Fast Facts
With BPEL4WS entering a new and possibly explosive phase with the move to OASIS, now is the good time for you to learn a few facts about BPEL4WS. Check out "On BPEL4WS 1.1" by Collaxa. Thanks to Edwin Khodabakchian, CEO of Collaxa, for the tip.
Update: the paper was taken down for a day but came back looking prettier. Go check it out.
Liberty Phase 2 Draft Specs
Liberty Alliance released a small armada of specs, collectively called Phase 2 Specs. You can get them all in a single ZIP file here (2.27Mb). Frankly, I am drowning in a rising sea of specs, mostly XML-based. From a spec-slave's point of view, XML was a Pandora's Box.
OASIS on a roll: SAML, XACML, Liberty, and now BPEL4WS
While I have been unhappy with the way OASIS has been managing XML-DEV, I must say OASIS has been on a roll of late, taking thunder away from W3C. I guess it started with DSML, gathered mass with SAML and XACML. With Liberty and BPEL4WS coming under their influence, OASIS is now looking at a lionshare of key specs that will dominate the Internet and intranets in the near future. Compared to them, W3C is looking pretty devastated [with disinterest and hopeless dreams] at this point.
Tax Time
I finished filing my tax two hours ago, just in time for dinner. Whew. I guess I am one of those people who waits until the last moment. At least, I am getting better. I don't think I ever filed as early as this year. Hey, 24 hours early is nothing to laugh at.
VSNET 2003
Just upgraded to Visual Studio .NET 2003. On the surface, nothing really noticable has changed, but the C++ compiler sure is making a lot of noise (warnings and errors). They are mostly correct errors due to more through support of C++ language and library standards. Its just that I am suddenly faced with the chore of removing all the language hacks.
For example, VS used to have its own version of Standard C++ Library available through header files such as <istream.h>. With VSNET 2003, those header files are gone, replaced with files like <istream> which are 'correct' way of using Standard C++ Library. While this change will mean less headaches for my platform-independent code, it does mean my old code doesn't compile now. Mostly, its no problem, just chores. Some times, though there are enough behavior differences for my wife to close my office door when I start swearing. Oy! Joy of new tools.
Still, I am now armed with two newest tools: VSNET 2003 and Eclipse 2.1. Some geeks are gadget freaks, and some are tool freaks. Now I have new shiny hammers to bang on things with. <g>
Liberty moving to OASIS
Liberty Alliance is turning over Liberty 1.1 specs to OASIS according to Network World Fusion. That is goodness. At the very least, removing all the marketing bullshit out of the spec will reduce its size by half.
Don Park's Weekly Habit 