Novell Inc has thrown its weight behind Electronic Commerce Modeling Language (ECML), a pet project undertaken by Visa, MasterCard and American Express with the enthusiastic cooperation of AOL, Compaq, IBM, Microsoft and Sun. The idea is to make it easier for buyers to pay for goods and services they receive over the web. The partners in ECML hope to collaborate on digital wallets as a way of standardizing internet payments and making them easier to manage. VP of strategic business Mike Sheridan has taken a seat on the ECML board of directors to ensure that the Provo, Utah software giant takes an appropriately sized piece of the digital wallet pie. Consumers are looking for easier, faster ways to buy off the web, Sheridan explained. The goal of the ‘digital wallet’ initiative is to reduce the purchase hassle, which currently involves filling out many forms. Novell brings its experience in directory technology, which helps identify and manage people and resources throughout a network. á
