Transcript Next Year`s Web and How To Get There

Web Developments For
The JANET Community
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Brian Kelly
UK Web Focus
UKOLN
University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY
[email protected]
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/
UK Web Focus
UK Web Focus:
• National web coordination post for UK HE community
• Based at UKOLN, University of Bath
• Responsibilities include:
– Technology watch
– Information dissemination in variety of ways:
– Workshops (national, regional)
– Presentations at conferences and seminars
– Online
Voting on new standards
Voting on new activities
– Coordination activities
Seeking involvement from UK HE
– Representing JISC on W3C
• Brian Kelly appointed on 1st November 1996
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– Involved with web since January 1993
– Previously worked at University of Newcastle, Leeds,
Liverpool, and Loughborough
W3C Activities
• Public charters & workplans
• Closed discussion groups, draft
papers
• Participation encouraged
• See http://www.w3.org/
User Interface
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• HTML
• Style Sheets
• Document Object
Model
• Math
• Graphics & 3D
• Internationalisation
• Fonts
• Amaya
Technology & Society
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WAI
Digital Signatures
Electronic Commerce
Metadata
PICS
IPR
Privacy &
Preferences
• Security
Architecture
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HTTP
Addressing (URLs)
Object Technology
Synchronised
Multimedia
• XML
• Jigsaw
HTML Developments
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End user control
over layout, better
printing, ...
Why: Increased
functionality
Barriers: Lack of
standards
How: CSS, HTML
4.0 (Cougar)
Familiarisation: IE
4, Netscape 4,
HTML 4.0
proposal, CSS 2
proposal
HTML 4.0 and Related Work
• Forms:
Improved forms.
• Printing:
Better control over printing.
• Layout:
Absolute positioning of HTML
elements, layering, etc.
• Scripting:
Standard mechanisms for scripting.
• Document Object Model (DOM):
APIs (application program
interface) for HTML/CSS elements.
Provides a programming interface
for HTML (hooks for Javascript,
etc.)
The SGML / HTML
philosophy is to use
HTML to define the
document structure
Netscape / Microsoft
wars have broken this
Companies are now
supporting CSS:
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• Ease of maintenance
• Richer functionality
(e.g. filter effects as in
Powerpoint)
• Network friendly
• Accessibility
Increasing Use Of Java
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Expect to see increasing
use of Java:
Why: Provide extra
functionality on client;
Minimise support load
for desktop applications
Barriers: Performance
concerns (real and
imaginary - cf XMosaic)
How: Standard web
browser
Z39.50 clients are being
Familiarisation:
http://www.gamelan developed using Java
.com/
Metadata Components
PICS, Digital Signatures, Transparent Content
Negotiation, resource discovery, website administration
are all related to metadata
Example
Imagine you make
your University
prospectus available
on the web.
What metadata may
be required?
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Use Of Metadata
PICS Resource accessible to users in
Middle East, which ban unrated sites
DSig Description of course is a legally
binding agreement
TCN Resource can transparently be
accessed in HTML or PDF format
Web Collections
Print resource as single document
Resource Discovery
Search for Bath prospectus finds it
Website Administration
Use of review-by to find out-ofdate material
Development of a
Metadata Architecture
Metadata - the missing
architectural component
from the initial
implementation
of the web
Addressing
URL
Transport Data format
HTTP
HTML
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A Quicker Web
More effective use of
scarce bandwidth
Why: The web is too slow!
Barriers: Limitations of
protocols (HTML, HTTP)
How: Caching, HTTP/1.1,
HTTP/NG, Education,
Charging!
Familiarisation:
Monitoring web pages,
Internet magazines,
attending workshops
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Technologies
• Caching:
Essential!
• HTTP/1.1:
New protocol is more cacheaware, and avoids problems
(e.g. stale information) which
have occurred in the past
• HTTP/NG:
Proposal for new protocol
• Style sheets:
Avoids need for large images
for design effects
• Scripting Languages / Java:
Exploit processing power at
client
Caching
UK early pioneer in web caching:
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HENSA cache launched in 1994
Paper at WWW 1 presented at CERN (May 94)
Cache migrated from Lagoon  CERN  Netscape
Paper at WWW 5 presented in Paris (May 96)
JANET WWW cache:
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Launched on Aug 1997
Hosted at Manchester & Loughborough
Service and development arms
See http://wwwcache.ja.net/ and
http://www.net.loughborough.ac.uk/
caching/CacheNow/
A Quicker Web
More effective use of
scarce bandwidth
Why: The web is too slow!
Barriers: Limitations of
protocols (HTML, HTTP)
How: Caching, HTTP/1.1,
HTTP/NG, Education,
Charging!
Familiarisation:
Monitoring web pages,
Internet magazines,
attending workshops
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Technologies
• Caching:
Essential!
• HTTP/1.1:
New protocol is more cacheaware, and avoids problems
(e.g. stale information) which
have occurred in the past
• HTTP/NG:
Proposal for new protocol
• Style sheets:
Avoids need for large images
for design effects
XML
XML:
• Extensible Markup Language
• A lightweight SGML designed for network use
• Support from SGML and browsers vendors
• Proposals for variety of applications:
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CML (Chemical Markup Language) – MML (Maths ..)
XML Web Collections
– Privacy & Profiling
RDF (Resource Description Framework)
CDF (Channel Definition Format)
DRP (Distribution and Replication Protocol)
• See
http://www.textuality.com/xml/
http://www.w3.org/XML/
Push Technologies
Use of push technologies
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Why: Push information,
teaching and learning
services to end users
Barriers: Lack of
standards, bandwidth
concerns
How: CDF, ...
Familiarisation: Pointcast
IE 4, Netscape
See
http://www.w3.org/
Architecture/
9709_Workshop/
Will It Take Off In UK HE?
Barriers to use of new technologies:
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Lack of knowledge
Lack of tools
Inertia
Concerns over costs
Solutions:
• Education, information, discussion, …
• UCISA-SG WebTools group
Commercial pressures
• Enthusiasts
• Monitoring usage
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UKOLN's WebWatch Project
WebWatch:
• 1 year post funded by British Library (BLRIC)
• Ian Peacock ([email protected])
• Will develop set of robot tools for analysing UK
web resources:
– Usage of emerging web technologies, such as HTML 4,
style sheets, Java, metadata, XML, etc.
– Usage of file formats (e.g. PDF, Shockwave, …)
– Web page profiles (typical nos. of links, images, size, etc)
– ...
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• Analysis of log files (e.g. user agents)
• Results to be made available to various
communities (institutions, national bodies, etc.)
• Feedback on project welcomed
WebWatch Aims
Aim to:
• Analyse communities:
– Public libraries
– eLib pages
– UK HE home pages – Institutional pages
• Provide useful information and statistics:
– Size and extend of website
– Technologies used
–…
• Provide set of tools
• Useful for:
– Funding bodies, trainers, institutional web teams,
support staff, advisors. etc
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WebWatch - Architecture
Makes use of Harvest
Stores SOIF records describing resources:
file-type{4}: html
Counting HTML elements
p-count{1}: 9
script-count{1}: 2
...
Recording attribute values
url-refs{23}: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/
file-type{5}: image
image-type{3}: gif
nos-colours{3}: 128
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Details for other resources
e.g. image
Log Analysis
Need to:
• Monitor user agents
• Platform issues (Win v Mac, 16 bit v 32 bit)
• Use of HTTP headers
Useful for:
• Establishing timeliness of new technologies
• Caching communities
Privacy implications
Can:
• Access files directly (subject to AUP)
• Copy anonymised log files for processing
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WebWatch Launch Plans
1. UK HE Institutional Home Pages
What?
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Sizes of objects (HTML, images, etc.)
Profile (nos. of images, links, graphics, CGI)
Quality (broken links, HTML conformance)
HTML element usage (metadata, tables, scripting)
Stakeholders
• Institutional web teams, web policy groups, trainers
• Caching communities
2. UK Public Library Web Sites
What?
• Extent of web site (size, nos. of pages, …)
• ...
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Conclusions
• The web is still developing rapidly
• Conformance to standards is important
• Institutions will have to continually monitor new
developments (regional workshops, seminars?)
• The deployment of new technologies in a timely
manner is a challenge (need for workshops, case
studies?)
• There is a danger that the costs will increase
when exploiting new developments
• There is a need to monitor developments and to
advise the community
• WebWatch can assist by monitoring
developments within the community
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Questions
Any Questions?
Feedback on WebWatch
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