RE: To get things started....

[Todd Boyle <tboyle@rosehill.net>]

>> Every mailing list needs some inaugural messages to get things started.
>> Attached is information re: the Joint EWG/X12 core component work
>> scheduled for St. Louis the week of June 4th.
>
>   What:   Joint Core Component Development Effort
>   When:   June 3 - 8, 2001
>   Where:  Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
>
>   Objective: 
>   UN/EDIFACT and ANSI ASC X12 join forces to prepare a common language 
>   through development of a single set of ebXML compliant core 
>   components.  This single set of core components will be the basis for 
>   future developments with the new and emerging technologies. In the 
>   spirit of the United Nations, the initiative will allow developing 
>   and transition economies to afford global, cross-industry, electronic 
>   commerce standards.

I urge the EWG to accord a high priority to publishing a common
horizontal set of components at an early date.  This should include
all party, product, location, contact and other aggregates necessary
for the 30 million small and medium businesses (SMB's) in the US to 
begin automating their bookkeeping.  The ongoing cost of printing
and mailing paper checks, and altogether unreconciled bookkeeping
mess are a national disgrace, running well above $100 billion/year.  

The EWG has a duty to improve this situation urgently, or stand down 
and stop confusing the marketplace with vaporous product announcements.

I urge the EWG to avoid any complex, theoretical context mechanisms 
for this common horizontal vocabulary.  It should be loaded straight 
into the Registry and published together with a rich set of examples and
documentation.  Small business software in the U.S. is quite mature
and works very well within vocabularies below 400 elements, exemplified
by QBXML or SMBXML.

The common horizontal vocabulary should be allowed to go forward
immediately, rather than being needlessly delayed by issues unrelated
to the SMB's.

Todd Boyle CPA
Kirkland WA