1 Advances In Web Technologies Brian Kelly UK Web Focus UKOLN University of Bath

2 Contents About UK Web Focus End user developments: browsing searching Developments for information providers document management metadata structured documentation Technologies HTML HTTP Java Will it Take Off In Our Community? Aim of this talk: To outline major developments on the web To explain why they are important To identify possible barriers to their use

3 UK Web Focus UK Web Focus: National web coordination post for UK HE community Based at UKOLN, University of Bath Responsibilities include: –Technology watch –Information dissemination in variety of ways: –Workshops (national, regional) –Presentations at conferences and seminars –Online –Coordination activities –Representing JISC on W3C Brian Kelly appointed on 1st November 1996 –Involved with web since January 1993 –Previously worked at University of Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, and Loughborough

4 Web Visualisation Visualisation of a web site to aid end user navigation Why: To make navigation easier for end users To provide tailorable views (e.g. only show "personal home pages") Barriers: Lack of standards. Proprietary, licensed software. How: Web Collections Familiarisation: MAPA, NetObjects Fusion See also WebCutter at HyperNews/get/PAPER40.html

5 Light-weight Browsers Light-weight browsers such as Opera and Lynx are available Why: To support low spec PCs (e.g. 386 SX with 8MB and Win 3.1) Barriers: Costs ($10 for copies), use of proprietary HTML How: Opera, Lynx, Bobcat Familiarisation: Free evaluation com/ doslynx/

6 Better Searching (1) Why: Time wasted in searching Barriers: Lack of metadata standards. Lack of tools How: Dublin Core Familiarisation: Read UKOLN resources at ukoln.ac.uk/ metadata/ Take part in pilot

7 Better Searching (2) Application of heuristic techniques in searching Why: Time wasted in searching Barriers: Lack of organisational guidelines How: Heuristics. Consistency in URLs across institution Familiarisation: Ahoy! washington.edu:6060/

8 A Manageable Web (1) Use of metadata for site management Why: Site metadata on authoring tools, authoring methods, document types,.. Barriers: Lack of standards How: Dublin Core, PICS, XML,... Familiarisation: UKOLN metadata work, UCISA-TLIG work Metadata to assist with following requests: Find all pages created using Internet Assistant v1 Find all pages which use Jscript Find pages where author = {find author from departed-staff} Metadata to assist with following requests: Find all pages created using Internet Assistant v1 Find all pages which use Jscript Find pages where author = {find author from departed-staff}

9 Development of a Metadata Architecture Metadata - the missing architectural component from the initial implementation of the web Metadata PICS, TCN, MCF, DSig, DC,... Addressing URL Data format HTML Transport HTTP

10 Metadata Components PICS, Digital Signatures, Transparent Content Negotiation, resource discovery, website administration are all related to metadata Example Imagine you make your University prospectus available on the web. What metadata may be required? Use Of Metadata PICSResource accessible to users in Middle East, which ban unrated sites DSigDescription of course is a legally binding agreement TCNResource can transparently be accessed in HTML or PDF format Web Collections Print resource as single document Resource Discovery Search for Bath prospectus finds it Website Administration Use of review-by to find out-of- date material

11 A Manageable Web (2) Use of server side management techniques Why: Single copy to minimise maintenance Barriers: Performance, cost of software, Unix How: Server side includes, Familiarisation: MS Active Server Pages, Netscape SuiteTools, PHP/FI,... <If useragent=netscape1.1 then else if useragent= …> This resource is copyright... Adding code / text to static HTML resource: complex difficult to maintain Adding code / text to static HTML resource: complex difficult to maintain <#If useragent=netscape1.1 then else if useragent= …> Server side management tools: HTML resource clean easier to maintain Server side management tools: HTML resource clean easier to maintain

12 <!-- Hide this from JavaScript-challenged browsers var FirstSlide = 1;var LastSlide = 17; var CurrentSlide = FirstSlide;var ImageWidth = ; var ImageHeight = 520; var CurImageWidth = ImageWidth; var CurImageHeight = ImageHeight; /* This function concerts numbers to strings */ function CvtNtoS(iNum) {return ("" + iNum);} /* This function prefixes strings with the correct # of 0's */ function ZeroFill(iNum, iDigits) { var sNum = CvtNtoS(iNum); while (sNum.length < iDigits) sNum = "0" + sNum; return sNum;} /* this function handles the setting the navigation buttons. The name of navigation control is used here so change it if it is renamed */ function ItemClicked(iIndex, iNoteOnly) {var sIndex = ZeroFill(iIndex, 3); var sNoteHref = "note" + sIndex + ".htm"; var sSlideImage = "img" + sIndex + ".htm"; if (!iNoteOnly) // not active X, update image and nav btns frames["SlideImage"].location.href = sSlideImage; frames["Notes"].location.href = sNoteHref; CurrentSlide = iIndex;} Demise of Tags Demise of text editors for authoring Why: HTML will be too complex Barriers: Inertia. Too many tools! How: Recommendations on authoring tools Familiarisation: Front Page, Netobjects Fusion,... An Introduction to Metadata UK Web Focus Early Days of the Web (1) HTML>

13 HTML Developments End user control over layout, better printing,... Why: Increased functionality Barriers: Lack of standards How: CSS, HTML 4.0 (Cougar) Familiarisation: IE 4, Netscape 4, HTML 4.0 proposal, CSS 2 proposal HTML 4.0 and Related Work Forms: Improved forms Printing: Better control over printing Layout: Absolute positioning of HTML elements, layering, etc. Scripting: Standard mechanisms for scripting. Document Object Model (DOM): APIs (application program interface) for HTML/CSS elements. Provides a programming interface for HTML (hooks for Javascript, etc.) HTML 4.0 and Related Work Forms: Improved forms Printing: Better control over printing Layout: Absolute positioning of HTML elements, layering, etc. Scripting: Standard mechanisms for scripting. Document Object Model (DOM): APIs (application program interface) for HTML/CSS elements. Provides a programming interface for HTML (hooks for Javascript, etc.)

14 The SGML / HTML philosophy is to use HTML to define the document structure Netscape / Microsoft wars have broken this Companies are now supporting CSS: Ease of maintenance Richer functionality (e.g. filter effects as in Powerpoint) Network friendly Accessibility

15 Increasing Use Of Java Expect to see increasing use of Java: Why: Provide extra functionality on client; Minimise support load for desktop applications Barriers: Performance concerns (real and imaginary - cf XMosaic) How: Standard web browser Familiarisation: Z39.50 clients are being developed using Java

16 An Accessible Web Web resources accessible to people with disabilities Why: Equality. Spinoffs for "temporarily able- bodied persons" Barriers: Lack of standards, lack of awareness, misuse of HTML How: WAI, Institutional policies Familiarisation: WAI pages Technologies Style sheets: control over appearance needed by designers, but with end user ability to change appearance (not achievable with images) Aural style sheets: e.g. rendered as LOUD voice, or pause before phrase,, rendered using male / female voices, columns in tables using left and right stereo channels Technologies Style sheets: control over appearance needed by designers, but with end user ability to change appearance (not achievable with images) Aural style sheets: e.g. rendered as LOUD voice, or pause before phrase,, rendered using male / female voices, columns in tables using left and right stereo channels

17 A Customisable Web End user choice of preferred formats (HTML or PDF, GIF or PNG), features (frames or tables), languages, etc. Why: Choice for the end user, deployment of new features Barriers: Lack of standards, misuse of HTML How: TCN, Cookies Familiarisation: Replace this with use of cookies or transparent content negotiation

18 Maths Mathematical formulae on the web. Why: Needed by scientists, images of formulae are slow and have no semantics Barriers: Lack of standards How: MML, XML, Java, ActiveX Familiarisation: MarkUp/Math/

19 A Quicker Web More effective use of scarce bandwidth Why: The web is too slow! Barriers: Limitations of protocols (HTML, HTTP) How: Caching, HTTP/1.1, HTTP/NG, Education, Charging! Familiarisation: Monitoring web pages, Internet magazines, attending workshops Technologies Caching: Essential! HTTP/1.1: New protocol is more cache- aware, and avoids problems (e.g. stale information) which have occurred in the past HTTP/NG: Proposal for new protocol Style sheets: Avoids need for large images for design effects Scripting Languages / Java: Exploit processing power at client Technologies Caching: Essential! HTTP/1.1: New protocol is more cache- aware, and avoids problems (e.g. stale information) which have occurred in the past HTTP/NG: Proposal for new protocol Style sheets: Avoids need for large images for design effects Scripting Languages / Java: Exploit processing power at client

20 Collaborative Tools Use of collaborative and conferencing web tools. Why: Provide rich collaborative tools Barriers: Lack of locking, notification systems, HTML deficiencies How: WebDAV work, Cougar Familiarisation: Amaya, uiuc.edu/HyperNews/ get/hypernews.html

21 Structured Documentation Store web resources in a rich structured open master format Why: To overcome HTML deficiencies Barriers: Lack of standards. HTML provides little structure How: XML Familiarisation: Jumbo browser See also

22 Richer Hyperlinking Richer forms of hyperlinking Why: Increased functionality Barriers: Lack of standards How: XML, Javascript Familiarisation: SoftQuad HiP, XML/ XML-Linking Multi-way links Link destination: Replaces existing document Included inline in document Displayed in new window Resolve link at: document load user action XML-Linking Multi-way links Link destination: Replaces existing document Included inline in document Displayed in new window Resolve link at: document load user action See further instructions Reference Tutorial English French

23 Push Technologies Use of push technologies Why: Push information, teaching and learning services to end users Barriers: Lack of standards, bandwidth concerns How: CDF,... Familiarisation: Pointcast IE 4, Netscape

24 Will It Take Off In UK HE? Barriers to use of new technologies: Lack of knowledge Lack of tools Inertia Concerns over costs Solutions: Education, information, discussion, … UCISA-SG WebTools group Commercial pressures Enthusiasts Monitoring usage

25 UKOLN's WebWatch Project WebWatch: 1 year post funded by British Library (BLRIC) Will develop set of robot tools for analysing UK web resources: –Usage of emerging web technologies, such as HTML 4, style sheets, Java, metadata, XML, etc. –Usage of file formats (e.g. PDF, Shockwave, …) –Web page profiles (typical nos. of links, images, size, etc) –... Analysis of log files (e.g. user agents) Results to be made available to various communities (institutions, national bodies, etc.) Feedback on project welcomed

26 Conclusions The web is still developing rapidly Conformance to standards is important Institutions will have to continually monitor new developments (regional workshops, seminars?) The deployment of new technologies in a timely manner is a challenge (need for workshops, case studies?) There is a danger that the costs will increase when exploiting new developments There is a need to monitor developments and to advise the community