|
UMS = Unified Messaging Services
Unified Messaging Services include sending and receiving of e-mail, SMS messages, fax documents and voice mail and can be summerized as concept of converging digital media by means of centrally deployed UMS servers.
go back
Usability
The usage of Internet applications does not require any installation; therefore, potential visitors might be easily attracted to a particular service. Internet usage patterns indicate that online applications typically receive 1-2 minutes of trial period.
Only within this short period does the application have the opportunity to make a significant impression upon the visitor, thereby resulting in a bookmark. This demands that the application have a stable, consistent and intuitive user interface. Weblicon applications are built following strict user-interaction guidelines to achieve the goal of transforming visitors of a site into users, leading to the ultimate directive of transforming users into customers.
go back
vCalendar
vCalendar defines a transport and platform-independent format for exchanging calendaring and scheduling information in an easy, automated, and consistent manner. It captures information about event and "to-do" items that are normally used by applications such as a personal information manager (PIM) and group schedulers. Programs that use vCalendar can exchange important data about events so that you can schedule meetings with anyone who has a vCalendar-aware program.
The IESG has approved the specification for iCalendar as proposed standards. The three RFCs are
RFC 2445, Internet Calendaring and Scheduling Core Object Specification (iCalendar)
RFC 2446, iCalendar Transport-Independent Interoperability Protocol (iTIP): Scheduling Events, BusyTime, To-dos and Journal Entries
RFC 2447, iCalendar Message-based Interoperability Protocol (iMIP)
go back
vCard
vCard automates the exchange of personal information typically found on a traditional business card. vCard is used in applications such as Internet mail, voice mail, Web browsers, telephony applications, call centers, video conferencing, PIMs (Personal Information Managers), PDAs (Personal Data Assistants), pagers, fax, office equipment, and smart cards. vCard information goes way beyond simple text, and includes elements like pictures, company logos, live Web addresses, and so on.
The IETF has released the specification for vCard version 3. The two parts of the definition are:
RFC 2425, MIME Content-Type for Directory Information
RFC 2426, vCard MIME Directory Profile
go back
WAP
Wireless Application Protocol defines services for mobile data exchange via WML pages. WAP content can be browsed on mobile phones or smart phones and is WML coded. This Wireless Markup Language represents mobile content comparable to HTML, commonly used with web-pages on the World Wide Web.
Making use of WAP technology as part of a complete mobile application solution, the specific requirements of mobile networks are met – overcoming bandwidth limitations, unreliable mobile radio channels and limited user interfaces of mobile terminals.
go back
WAP Client
The WAP client offers mobile data access via cellular phones. A WML-based user interface supports viewing, modifiying and deleting events and address information. Using the WAP client, users get full mobile access to all schedule and contact data of the weblicon PIM. All WAP services are implemented following the WML 1.1 standard and have been adapted to most of the common cellular phones available.
go back
Weblication
Derived from web-application. Weblications might superseed common desktop applications due to a paradigm shift in IT. Applications will increasingly be centrally installed rather than dispersed within heterogeneous networks and corporate networks. Centrally stored applications offer the advantage of simple installation, easier maintenance and higher stability.
go back
weblicon
The word „weblicon“ is artificial. It derives from web-application, or weblication. „weblicon“ is a protected trademark of weblicon technologies AG, Berlin, Germany.
go back
weblicon integration
Weblicon technologies AG installs its applications onto customer’s machines and integrates its services with legacy databases and applications. Weblicon is specialized on integration with heterogeneous environments. Integration has been made easy since weblicon’s software architecture is standards-based and supports multiple open standards as e.g. LDAP for address and authentication information. Data exchange with any data source can be done using XML. Weblicon applications support vCard (RFC 2426-27) and vCalendar (RFC 2445-47). Weblicon offically is a supporter of the SyncML initiative and is developing synchronization technology compliant to the SyncML standard.
go back
weblicon license model
Weblicon technologies AG offers applications on the basis of a monthly subscription fee. The monthly subscription fee is dependent on the number of modules installed and the user-base. Customers may launch their site with a small user-base in the beginning and thus will pay a small license fee. Therefore, weblicon shares the risk of launching its online applications on a customer’s site. Once the user-base rises, weblicon participates on the success.
The license model reflects weblicon’s mission of creating useful applications upon which Internet users rely on everyday.
go back
Weblicon XML-API
Weblicon XML-API defines an open interface for all weblicon products, accessible to any remote application through a defined API. The Weblicon XML-API offers interoperable data exchange and transactions on an abstract object-level among separate Internet applications from different vendors. The concept seamlessly integrates into the standardization efforts made with vCard, vCalendar and SyncML, which all enable different applications to communicate abstractly and invoke transactions remotely. Weblicon XML-API is an API since it defines an interface that is documented in „Weblicon XML-API Reference Manual“ and open to third-party vendors. Data exchange is XML-based since XML is a common means of exchanging abstract object-graphs among applications of different vendors.
go back
WebObjects Application Server
Weblicon application suite is based on WebObjects, a mature and well-proven application server. WebObjects combines potentially unlimited scalability and has an integrated development environment (IDE) supporting rapid prototyping leading to high developer productivity. The WebObjects framework offers a robust abstraction layer between server-side objects and different databases. WebObjects runs prominent Internet sites like the Apple Company Store, Nissan website, online services of Deutsche Bank AG, Consors, OTTO, libri.de, Ricardo.de, Lufthansa and TUI online ticket stores. WebObjects Application Server can be deployed on HP/UX, SUN Solaris, MacOS X Server and Windows NT/2000.
go back
WebPDA
A new class of devices, combining online-capabilities of mobile phones with limited Internet access or data services such as e-mail and PIM. WebPDAs are also considered mobile Internet browser devices to browse the Internet from anywhere, anytime without requiring a fixed line. IDC predictions indicate that the total number of WebPDAs in 2003 will outperform the total number of desktop PCs with Internet access.Therefore, colorful WebPDAs might become the legal successors of the all-in-grey desktop computers.
go back
WML
WML (Wireless Markup Language) is a markup language based on XML, and is intended for use in specifying content and user interface for narrowband devices, including cellular phones and pagers. WML is designed with the constraints of small narrowband devices in mind.
go back
WML/ WAP Client
The WML/WAP client provides mobile access to the weblicon calendar and contact information. Read- and write operations are processed centrally on the central application server in a way that the mobile WAP client refers to the same user data as HTML and Java clients. For example, an appointment could be created by the secretary in the office using the HTML client and read using the mobile phone of the sales manager.
The WAP client includes the following features in its first release:
- User identification
- Quick access to saved contacts and appointments
- Creation of new events and contacts
- Editing of events and contacts
- Deleting of events and contacts
During development of the user interface, display of the WML pages was tested on the most common mobile phones. The implemented solution works on different display sizes of different vendors without generating platform-specific WML code. The user interface is easy to navigate and has been developed to allow quick navigation avoiding unnecessary waiting cycles.
During development the two leading microbrowsers (Phone.com und Nokia) were tested to guarantee platform neutrality. The WML client of weblicon application suite is based on WML 1.1 specification. To ensure compatibility, no browser-specific feature was used. To avoid incompatibilities with different user interfaces of different microbrowsers and phones, links are used for navigation functionality. The minimum display size is considered 12 characters, yet dynamic adoption of the current display size is under development.
The following current mobile phones are tested frequently to ensure compatibility:
- Nokia 7110
- Motorola Timeport
- Siemens S35i
- Ericsson R320s
- Ericsson R380s
- SONY Z5
go back
XML
The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is the universal format for structured documents and data on the Web. Weblicon application suite is based on WebObjects application server providing its own architecture for real-time generation of dynamic web content. Applications basically consist of “components” that can be linked and grouped programmatically to unify as a dynamic web page. At runtime these components in dependance of the underlying Java programming logic are filled with dynamic content and combined in a single HTML page are sent to the browser. The browser parses the HTML web page and displays the content appropriately.
The configuration and modelling of the pages is done in an abstract model, independent from the HTML language. The embedded components used to construct a page can generate HTML or WML.
WebObjects 4.5 also supports XML based documents using the SAX technology, licensed from IBM. This technology allows the analysis and synthesis of XML streams and offers transparent transcription of objects and XML based input or output data.
go back
|
|
|
