Comment XML and Transcoding - How IBM would do it (Score 2) 139
The decomposition into three system elements (XML content source, Transcoding gateway, and browser) makes a lot of sense. That way the content source can focus on what it does - deliver content - and the transcoding gateway can handle the customizing the content for presentation on whatever device is making the request. The IBM Transcoding Technology (see http://www.ibm.com/software/secureway/transcoder/) is an example of a tool for building the transcoding gateway. You can download and try the beta code now. There are additional notes at this web site about other tools that may be useful in developing this kind of application. There is a short write-up on XSL at http://www.ibm.com/software/secureway/transcoder/x sl.html.
As you hinted in your note, it can sometimes be a challenge to select the best stylesheet to apply to a given XML document. The gateway may want to choose a stylesheet based on the source document and the destination browser or device. In addition, different stylesheets may be better suited to specific user preferences or network connections. The IBM transcoding technology includes a way to select the "best" stylesheet to apply in a given situation.
The Transcoding technology can also adapt content other than XML for different clients. HTML requires special processing because you can't apply stylesheets to directly since it's not well formed. Images also require special handling to adapt them for the destination device. The whole transcoding gateway may be a separate component, installed as an HTTP proxy, or it may be configured as a servlet on the same server that is the content source.
As you hinted in your note, it can sometimes be a challenge to select the best stylesheet to apply to a given XML document. The gateway may want to choose a stylesheet based on the source document and the destination browser or device. In addition, different stylesheets may be better suited to specific user preferences or network connections. The IBM transcoding technology includes a way to select the "best" stylesheet to apply in a given situation.
The Transcoding technology can also adapt content other than XML for different clients. HTML requires special processing because you can't apply stylesheets to directly since it's not well formed. Images also require special handling to adapt them for the destination device. The whole transcoding gateway may be a separate component, installed as an HTTP proxy, or it may be configured as a servlet on the same server that is the content source.
