1. 1 Next Year's Web and How To Get There "If I were you I wouldn't start from here!" Brian Kelly UK Web Focus UKOLN University of Bath B.Kelly@ukoln.ac.uk

2. 2 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 http://www.textuality.com/xml/

3. 3 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 http://www6.nttlabs.com/ HyperNews/get/PAPER40.html http://www.dynamicdiagrams.com/

4. 4 Better Searching (1) Why: Time wasted in searching Barriers: Lack of metadata standards. Lack of tools How: Dublin Core Familiarisation: Read UKOLN resources at http://www. ukoln.ac.uk/ metadata/ Take part in pilot

5. 5 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! http://ahoy.cs. washington.edu:6060/

6. 6 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 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}

7. 7 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 Suitespot, 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

8. 8 <!-- Hide this from JavaScript-challenged browsers var FirstSlide = 1;var LastSlide = 17; var CurrentSlide = FirstSlide;var ImageWidth = 708 - 8; 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 editor 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>

9. 9 Richer Hyperlinking Richer forms of hyperlinking Why: Increased functionality Barriers: Lack of standards How: XML, Javascript Familiarisation: SoftQuad HiP, http://www.w3.org/ 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

10. 10 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

11. 11 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 (Cougar) Document Object Model (DOM): APIs (application program interface) for HTML/CSS elements. Provides a programming interface for HTML (hooks for Javascript, etc.) Forms: Improved forms Printing: Better control over printing Layout: Absolute positioning of HTML elements, layering, etc HTML 4.0 (Cougar) Document Object Model (DOM): APIs (application program interface) for HTML/CSS elements. Provides a programming interface for HTML (hooks for Javascript, etc.) Forms: Improved forms Printing: Better control over printing Layout: Absolute positioning of HTML elements, layering, etc

12. 12 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: http://www.gamelan.com/ Z39.50 clients are being developed using Java

13. 13 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: http://tips.iworld.com/ Replace this with use of cookies or transparent content negotiation

14. 14 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: http://www.w3.org/ MarkUp/Math/

15. 15 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 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

16. 16 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, http://union.ncsa. uiuc.edu/HyperNews/ get/hypernews.html

17. 17 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

18. 18 Conclusions The web is still developing rapidly Conformance to standards is important Institutions will have to continually monitor new developments There is a real danger that the costs in providing web services will increase when chasing new developments