ckl@uwbln.UUCP (Christoph Kuenkel) (08/20/88)
Since we are developing some ODA based software, we would like to test
our software with some not self-made ODIF (preferrably stream b type)
documents. (should be conforming with the latest DIS 8613/5).
thanx for sending docs via e-mail!
christoph
--
Christoph Kuenkel/UniWare GmbH Kantstr. 152, 1000 Berlin 12, West Germany
ck@tub.BITNET ckl@uwbln {unido,tmpmbx,tub}!uwbln!ckljr+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jonathan Rosenberg) (09/02/88)
> Since we are developing some ODA based software, we would like to test > our software with some not self-made ODIF (preferrably stream b type) > documents. (should be conforming with the latest DIS 8613/5). > thanx for sending docs via e-mail! > christoph > -- > Christoph Kuenkel/UniWare GmbH Kantstr. 152, 1000 Berlin 12, West Germany > ck@tub.BITNET ckl@uwbln {unido,tmpmbx,tub}!uwbln!ckl We (Carnegie Mellon University) are also developing some ODA software as part of the NSF-funded EXPRES project. We are just about ready to begin exchanging ODIF datastreams. The problem is that we are conforming to the final text of the International Standard, not the Draft. Do you have any plans to upgrade to the IS? Either way, I'd be interested in hearing more about your project. If some people on this mailing list want to hear more about EXPRES, let me know & I can post something. Jonathan Rosenberg Manager, Andrew Message System Group
jr+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jonathan Rosenberg) (09/08/88)
I've gotten several requests for more information on EXPRES & our ODA work, so
here goes...
The EXpermiental Research in Electronic Submission (EXPRES) is an NSF-funded
project that began in September 1986. It is a three year project, with equal
grants going to the Information Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University
(that's where I am) & the Center for Information Technology Integration at the
University of Michigan.
I'll skip details about history & get to the bottom line:
We're investigating the interchange of processable, multi-media
documents among diverse systems.
We're investigating the interchange of such documents by translating between
native document formats & ODA. There are two major pieces to this work:
(i) translators to demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique,
(ii) an ODA Tool Kit to make it easier for others to work with ODA.
For (i) we (at CMU) are building translators for ATK -> ODA and ODA -> ATK.
(ATK is our local multi-media document format.) The people at UM are building
translators for Diamond -> ODA and ODA -> Diamond. (Diamond is the format of a
multi-media system built by BBN & in use at Michigan.) In addition, we have
informal agreements with groups at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) &
McDonnell Douglas Corporation (MDC) to participate in this interchange effort.
NBS is building Wordperfect <-> ODA translators and MDC is doing Interleaf <->
ODA.
Now, to the Tool Kit. The CMU ODA Tool Kit is a portable subroutine library
for dealing with ODA documents. The design of the Tool Kit is essentially
complete and we have produced a preliminary application programmer's manual
that was mailed to interested parties early this year. [There are still copies
of this preliminary manual available. If you're interested, send me mail
(jr+@andrew.cmu.edu) with a USPS address & I'll send you a copy.]
We have been implementing the Tool Kit for about 3 months at this point. We
are making releases of the Tool Kit and an interim manual to the interchange
partners (UM, MDC, NBS). We are limiting early releases to this group in order
to make version tracking and bug reports manageable. The Tool Kit is very
limited in functionality at this point & is only useful to the groups directly
involved in interchange with us.
If you do manage to get a hold of a copy of the Tool Kit, that's fine, but
please be aware that what you have is still, at least, several months away from
any kind of real release. If you are interested in really using these early
releases, contact Larry Welsch at NBS (301/975-3345). Although he's not (in
general) shipping any tapes, he can make arrangements for you to work at NBS
using the releases.
The Tool Kit is written in (what we believe is) a portable subset of C. So far
the Tool Kit has proven to be highly portable: it has run on BSD Unix (Sun3,
IBM PC-RT, uVax), System V Unix (IBM RT-PC, Sun3), MS-DOS, Macintosh & VAX/VMS.
We expect it is at most a day's effort to bring it up on a new machine/os.
[The Tool Kit implements the IS text for ODA & we are beginning to be able to
read ODIF streams. If anyone is able to generate/parse ODIF streams & wishes
to exchange with us, we will be in a position to do so within a month or two.]
Because this work is being under NSF funding, the Tool Kit will be available
for free (or some nominal charge) to anyone for any purpose. (It has a very
unrestrictive copyright.) We are still hoping to make the Tool Kit available
by the end of the year, but that's a soft date.
By the way: we are presenting a paper on this work and giving a demo at the ACM
Conference on Document Processing Systems at Santa Fe, December 5-9 this year.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to send me mail or call
(412/268-6773).
Jonathan Rosenberg
Manager, Andrew Message System Group
jr+@andrew.cmu.edu
Information Technology Center
CMU
4910 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
USA