When I introduced XTech 2005 last month, I promised to write a little about the new subject areas. The first of the new tracks I want to talk about is Browser Technologies.
The call for participation is still very much open, and I hope that this preview of the track will provoke submissions from those active in the field. The standard of submissions so far has been excellent, and augurs well for an amazing conference.
Until recently, the area of internet and XML-enabled user interfaces was reasonably static. Mozilla had XUL, and Microsoft had ActiveX and a few things like the XMLHTTP component. Now, the topic is mushrooming.
W3C's XForms are getting an increasing amount of attention and implementation. As well as XForms support promised in Mozilla, OpenOffice.org has now acquired XForms features, and there's an implementation for mobile devices from IBM. And that's just scraping the surface.
From the user point of view, I'm seeing a large amount of interest in XForms and other smart document technology from governments and large organisations for whom data capture and form filling is a significant part of their IT enterprise.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is developing further its XML-based integration between .NET framework components and the user interface. Microsoft's new graphical subsystem, Avalon, has an XML-based layer called XAML for building user interfaces. It has attracted considerable interest for the simple way it knits together markup and code, to the point of causing concern in some quarters that Microsoft intends it to supersede web pages.
The Mozilla project remains a rich source of user interface technology. As well as the now-mature XUL user interface language, the striking success of the Firefox browser is rapidly providing another flexible platform for programmers. Options range from simple extensions to full-fledged applications.
Furthermore we can't forget other familiar, now mature and widespread, web technologies. The combination of XHTML, CSS and ECMAScript is still a very useful application platform. The rising support for, and experience with, SVG is very exciting, especially in the mobile arena. A new project at the W3C to create a Compound Document Framework will finally give us the clue as to how to put together all these great pieces of technology.
As the above whistle-stop tour indicates, there's a lot of really exciting work going on in user interfaces right now. I'm looking for key people in these fields to participate in XTech 2005, to talk to both their peers and a large number of early adopters from companies, governments and open source.
Whether it's mobile, desktop, internet, intranet or voice user interface technology you're working in, please consider submitting a proposal. XTech 2005 takes place in Amsterdam, 25-27 May 2005. The deadline for submissions is January 7, 2005.
To get the ball rolling, here are some suggestions of talks I'd love to see.
This is just a small taster. I'm sure you can do better!
