Date: Sep. 21, 2001
Link: http://java.sun.com/features/2001/09/ebxmlrev.html
Source Author or Organization: Kammie Kayl, Sun Microsytems

The article looks at the history of the ebXML initiative and the ebXML services and components that comprise an infrastructure for electronic business. Also discussed are a number of vendors and vertical industries coming on board, including the "major milestone" of adoption by OpenTravel Alliance (OTA).

Comparing the advance to the driving of the golden spike that completed America's first transcontinental railway, this article describes the finalization of the electronic business Extensible Markup Language (ebXML) initiative. The initiative was sponsored by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) and the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) standards bodies.