[ebxml-dev] freebXML Website Launched to Host 'free' ebXML DevelopmentProjects

[Thomas Lee <ytlee@cecid.hku.hk>]

===================================================================
freebXML Website Launched to Host 'free' ebXML Development Projects
===================================================================

Hong Kong, Peoples Republic of China - September 13, 2002 - The Steering 
Committee of freebXML is pleased to announce today the launch of a new 
initiative that aims to foster the development and adoption of ebXML and 
related technologies. Pronounced as "Free b X M L" freebXML is an 
international effort comprising of founding members from technology 
firms, government organizations, standardization bodies, and academic 
institutions. Representatives include Cyclone Commerce (USA), Kasetsart 
University (Thailand), Korea Institute for Electronic Commerce (Korea), 
Sterling Commerce (USA), Sun Microsystems (USA), Sybase (USA), XML 
Global (Canada), and the University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China). 
www.freebXML.org is sponsored and hosted by the Center for E-Commerce 
Infrastructure Development (CECID) and Department of Computer Science & 
Information Systems of HKU.

The mission of freebXML is to provide a centralized Website (URL: 
http://www.freebxml.org) for ebXML users and developers from around the 
world to access and share 'free' ebXML code and applications. Users and 
developers can also exchange their ebXML development and deployment 
experience at www.freebXML.org.

Some features of www.freebxml.org include 'open source' projects for 
download, deployment or use cases of ebXML technology, a list of ebXML 
vendor products, latest news on freebXML, and discussion forums for 
developers and users. Access to www.freebxml.org is free of charge and 
open to all individuals and organizations interested in ebXML; no 
memberships are required.

Initially, two 'open-source' projects are available for download: Hermes 
and ebxmlrr. Hermes is a Message Service Handler (MSH) implementation of 
OASIS' ebXML Message Service V2 Standard. ebxmlrr is an implementation 
of the ebXML Registry/Repository V2 Standard. Donated to the ebXML 
development community by CECID, Hermes is released under the Academic 
Free License.ebxmlrr, hosted at Source Forge, is an international 
collaboration with developers from around the world based on the initial 
code donation by Sun Microsystems Inc. The ebxmlrr project is released 
under an Apache style open source license that permits royalty free use 
of the source and binaries.

freebXML.org Founding and Steering Committee Members:

The Steering Committee of freebXML provides guidance on technical and 
promotional direction for the freebXML initiative. Members include 
technical leaders from international technology firms, government 
organizations, standardization bodies and academic institutions.

Chair:
David Cheung, Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development, The 
University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Steering Committee Members:
Suresh Damodaran, Sterling Commerce, USA
Jasmine Jang, Korea Institute for Electronic Commerce, Korea
Somnuk Keretho, Kasetsart University, Thailand
Francis Lau, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Thomas Lee, Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development, Hong Kong, 
China
Matthew Mackenzie, XML Global, Canada
Dale Moberg, Cyclone Commerce, USA
Himagiri (Hima) Mukkamala, Sybase, USA
Farrukh Najmi, Sun Microsystems, USA
Nikola Stojanovic, Individual Member, USA

About CECID (http://www.cecid.hku.hk):
Established in January 2002, the Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure 
Development (CECID) at the University of Hong Kong conducts e-commerce 
research and development with the vision of helping Hong Kong increase 
its competitiveness in the international arena. CECID has the missions 
to develop e-commerce enabling technologies, to join important 
international e-commerce initiatives, to support e-commerce 
standardization for Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific Region, and to 
transfer e-commerce technology and skills to the community. As an OASIS 
member, CECID is participating in the standardization projects, such as 
ebXML and Universal Business Language (UBL). CECID also collaborates 
with a number of lead technology users in the Asia Pacific Region on the 
application of advanced e-commerce technologies.

About ebXML (http://www.ebxml.org):
The mission of ebXML is to provide an open XML-based infrastructure 
enabling the global use of electronic business information in an 
interoperable, secure and consistent manner by all parties. ebXML 
(Electronic Business using Extensible Markup Language), sponsored by 
UN/CEFACT and OASIS, is a modular suite of specifications that enables 
enterprises of any size and in any geographical location to conduct 
business over the Internet. Using ebXML, companies now have a standard 
method to exchange business messages, conduct trading relationships, 
communicate data in common terms and define and register business 
processes.

About OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org):
OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information 
Standards) is a not-for-profit, global consortium that drives the 
development, convergence and adoption of e-business standards. Members 
themselves set the OASIS technical agenda, using a lightweight, open 
process expressly designed to promote industry consensus and unite 
disparate efforts. OASIS produces worldwide standards for security, Web 
services, XML conformance, business transactions, electronic publishing, 
topic maps and interoperability within and between marketplaces.

About Sun Microsystems (http://www.sun.com ):
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- The Network Is The 
ComputerTM -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW), to 
its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, 
software and services that power the Internet and allow companies 
worldwide to dot-com their businesses. With $19.2 billion in annual 
revenues, Sun can be found in more than 170 countries.

PR Contacts for Press and Analysts:
Dorris Tai (cwtai@cecid.hku.hk)
Business Manager
Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development (CECID)
Dept. of Computer Science & Information Systems
The University of Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2859 2818
Fax: +852 2547 4611
URL: http://www.cecid.hku.hk