Back in time five years: Understanding ebXML, UDDI, XML/EDI

Here is the article from XML.org in November 2000 - looking forward five years on ebXML and describing the then UN/CEFACT view of ebXML.

Somethings have indeed come to past - with the emergence of Asia and India as software powerhouses, along with open source tools and Java that counterbalance the old order with Silicon Valley being the center of everything software.

Interestingly also - the direction that UDDI has taken is vastly different from the original envisioning of its creators and first business model, including the open OASIS UDDI work and focus away from yellow and green pages to more technology centric web service WSDL roles.

Likewise the embodiment of ebXML in Java and XML with today's implementations provides the hard components that are implementing the UN/CEFACT model.

Somethings are clearly there, others remain to be delivered. Interestingly the original vision is still so relevant today - the challenges and the needs - that our technology suite in 2006 has yet to deliver on these capabilities integrated as a seemless whole. Although clearly we are much closer to realizing this today - for example with the ebXML Registry foundation now extending out into communities such as the IHE/XDS work for secure healthcare document exchanges - (see http://www.freebxml.org for registry details).

The challenge ahead is to forge open public interoperable implementations that deliver the full set of capabilities. The components, parts and tools are there to build this now, just the delivery is as always the toughest path to cross.