XML Experts Discuss Next Generation of Web Forms At Standards Development Meeting Hosted by PureEdge.

Business Editors, High-Tech Writers

VICTORIA, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 5, 2000

Representatives of 21 Organizations Convene in

Victoria for W3C XForms Working Group summit

The future of XML forms will be discussed here July 11 - 13 as representatives of 21 organizations meet in Victoria for the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) XForms working group meeting.

The meeting is hosted by PureEdge Solutions, a pioneer in legally binding XML document solutions, member of the W3C, and co-author of Extensible Forms Description Language (XFDL); the first submission acknowledged by the W3C for legally binding XML forms.

XForms is part of a larger effort to replace traditional HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) with XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language), an XML version. The XForms working group will recommend a set of standards for the XML version of HTML forms. Since being introduced in 1993, HTML forms have become a critical part of e-commerce. Although HTML forms proved their value, there is a clear need for greater expressivity in forms. The XForms Work Group Charter calls for an improved match to workflow and database applications as well as support for a diverse range of browser capabilities in the new XForms specification. The XForms working group published its first draft specification, the Data Model Working Draft, in April 2000.

"As industry thought leaders in the XML business forms arena, PureEdge continues to demonstrate initiative in the development of next-generation Web technologies," said PureEdge CEO Eric Jordan. "A more robust XML forms standard is something we've advocated for years, through our XFDL Specification and through creating real-world solutions in XML for our customers. We are pleased to share our expertise with the rest of the W3C in creating XForms standards."

PureEdge, a founding member of the XForms working group, has been leading the way for organizations to represent sophisticated documents in XML over the past three years. XFDL, co-authored by PureEdge and Tim Bray, co-editor of the original XML specification, was submitted to the W3C in 1998. Since then, numerous Global 2000 and public sector organizations, including the Securities Exchange Commission, have deployed e-commerce solutions using XFDL and PureEdge's InternetForms Commerce System(TM) (ICS). ICS enables organizations to create, complete, sign and process legally binding XML documents, thereby eliminating the need for paper in internal and external e-commerce transactions.

The XForms Data Model can be viewed at http://www.w3.org/TR/xforms-datamodel-20000406/ and the working group's website is at http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/Forms/.

About the World Wide Web Consortium (www.w3.org)

The W3C was created to lead the Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability. It is an international industry consortium jointly run by the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science (MIT LCS) in the USA, the National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA) in France and Keio University in Japan. Services provided by the Consortium include: a repository of information about the World Wide Web for developers and users, and various prototype and sample applications to demonstrate use of new technology. To date, over 420 organizations are Members of the Consortium.

About PureEdge (www.PureEdge.com)

PureEdge is the leader in creating legally binding transactions for e-commerce. Named a Top Ten E-Commerce Company by InternetWeek and a Company to Watch by Wall Street & Technology, PureEdge is a recognized leader in the development of secure e-commerce standards. Products include the award-winning InternetForms Commerce System, and an upcoming suite of applications for financial services. PureEdge customers include Global 2000 and public sector organizations including the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, Chase Bank, Arvest Bank, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Allina Health System, Ameritech, and American Legal Net. PureEdge actively works to promote interoperable e-commerce through its participation in a wide a range of industry associations and standards bodies, such as the W3C, the American Bar Association, NACHA, and CommerceNet. For more information visit http://www.PureEdge.com or call 888/517-2675 or 250/479-8334.

Note: PureEdge, UWI.Com, InternetForms, and InternetForms Commerce System are trademarks of PureEdge Solutions Inc. All other products named herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.