[ebxml-dev] RE: [EDI-L] Article on ebXML Core Components ...

[Rachel Foerster <rachelf@ix.netcom.com>]

Jamie,

I concur with your thoughts. Although as far as health care is concerned, it
took federal legislation and the industry is still kicking and screaming and
trying to finds ways to not comply.

And, I've used the "Field of Dreams" Analogy many times over the past 10-12
years during my workshops, etc. on EDI, strategically planning for EDI,
electronic commerce or electronic business or whatever we end up calling it
in the future. It's a business imperative and necessary now and into the
future to be able to exchange unambiguous data. And personally I believe the
future will be **not** the shipping off to a business partner data or
documents, etc. but providing real time controlled access to the necessary
information transparently between enterprises so that cross-enterprise
business processes can execute to the desired outcome.

Evolution is an uneven and rocky journey, but happen it does, sometime in
spite of one's best efforts to forestall it.

Take care.

Rachel

-----Original Message-----
From: James Bryce Clark [mailto:jamie.clark@mmiec.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 20, 2002 4:40 PM
To: xmledi-group@disa.org
Cc: Claus.Loos@iona.com; marykay.blantz@iona.com;
mike@rawlinsecconsulting.com; EDI-L@yahoogroups.com;
ebxml-dev@lists.ebxml.org; xmledi-group@disa.org;
melanie.mccarthy@gm.com
Subject: RE: [EDI-L] Article on ebXML Core Components ...


At 07:17 PM 4/19/02, Rachel Foerster wrote:
>Quite frankly, if the work of CC is valid, solves problems of today and
>tomorrow, and the marketplace accepts it, it will stand on its own. If it
>doesn't, all the defensive comments from current/past co-chairs and other
>CC work groups won't mean a thing.
>
>[If] it's what the industry wants, needs and accepts, it doesn't need a
>defense.

Hello Rachel --
     I agree entirely with your statement that market forces, not
self-justifying statements for change or for stasis, will determine the
dominance of e-commerce channels.
     Our ebXML plans for open, fully automated, modelled systems must look
like a bad re-make of "Field of Dreams" or "The Absent-Minded Professor" to
folks with 15 years firmly rooted in document-centric EDI.
     On the other hand, I've heard that the early authors of X12 healthcare
transactions were told they would never fly, either.   Twelve years later,
it looks like their work led to something after all.
     Ultimately, adoption will prove who's right.   My bet is that
marketmakers in larger supply chains will pressure e-commerce to evolve
beyond logically separate one-off transaction documents.  It's already
happening.  That's why RosettaNet is so successful in its vertical.   It
offered an moderate evolutionary jump beyond X12/EDIFACT, and their trading
partner community jumped.   My guess is there will be more jumps, soon.
     Just my personal views.   Warm regards   Jamie Clark

~ James Bryce Clark
~ VP and General Counsel, McLure-Moynihan Inc.
~ Chair, ABA Business Law Subcommittee on Electronic Commerce
~ 1 818 597 9475   jamie.clark@mmiec.com
~ This message is neither legal advice nor a binding signature.  Ask me why.