SGML document specialist ArborText Inc has an XML Extensible Markup Language version of its Adept publishing system on the runway which it will demo at next week’s Seybold show in San Francisco. Adept 7 runs on Windows, Unix and OS/2 and in addition to converting between SGML and XML – which it describes as SGML on the web – the suite now supports Java Beans plus a slew of third party document management environments through what it calls its Willows partner program. They include the Xerox PARC- backed Chrystal, Computer Resources International, Documentum, Informix, Texcel and Xyvision solutions. It says XML competitor Andyne Computer could even be a partner in future. Adept 7 supports multiple views and drag and drop between views but what it can’t do is save existing SGML documents as XML files. There’s still a bunch of stylistic inconsistencies between SGML and XML as well. The XML spec is still being hammered out over at W3C. ArborText observes that browsers need to support XML for documents saved as XML to be viewed; Microsoft Corp’s Internet Explorer 4.0 due next week provides some support. Netscape has committed to support XML in a future browser release. ArborText says it will support ActiveX through the Java Bean technology that’s supposed to bridge to ActiveX. It says it hasn’t burned through all of the $6.3m funding its got from Norwest Venture Capital (CI No 3,0984), and didn’t say whether it would go back for more. But it’s confident that it’s met the right IPO investment interests through it.
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