• Java Project X
• XML Technology

Q. What is Java Project X?

A. Java Project X is the codename for core XML technology services written completely in the Java language. This package features a fast validating and non-validating XML parser that fully conforms to the W3C XML 1.0 recommendation and SAX 1.0 API, and supports the W3C DOM-compliant object model tree for manipulating and writing XML structured data. The XML Namespaces recommendation is also supported in the core functionality.

Q. What does Technology Release mean?

A. Technology Release implies that this is a shipping release but is an experimental technology not officially supported. This API has not been developed through the Java Community Process. Thus, itis not a standard Java API for the Java platform.

Q. Will Sun provide a standard Java API for XML through the Java platform?

A. Through the Java Community Process, Sun is working with industry vendors to provide first-class XML support in the Java platform. To view the Java Specification Request (JSR) that describes the standard XML API proposal, please see:

http://java.sun.com/aboutJava/communityprocess/index.html

Visit: http://java.sun.com/products/xml for updates about the XML standard extension effort.

Q. Who will want to use Java Project X?

A. Java Project X is intended for developers who want a high performance, modular, and extensible Java API for developing XML-oriented applications and services. With Java Project X's extensible Java services, developers have access to roundtrip XML processing capabilities (reading, manipulating and writing XML text) needed to build robust, flexible XML-oriented applications and network services.

Q. How fast is the XML parser?

A. In Sun's testing using Java 2, the validating parser (doing lots of error testing) was significantly faster than the majority of the non-validating parsers tested and was an order of magnitude faster than other validating parsers. Of course, the Java Project X non-validating parser is faster still.

Q. How well does Java Project X conform to open standards?

A. In line with Sun's commitment to open standards, Java Project X offers a fully conformant parser to XML 1.0 and SAX API 1.0, based on 1000+ publicly available industry conformance tests.

Q. Can I redistribute Java Project X with my product?

A. The Java Project X binary software is available for distribution in commercial products. Please see license for terms and conditions.

Q. Is source code available?

A. Source code is available in Technology Release 2. Please read license for terms and conditions.

Q. How do I send feedback about Java Project X?

A. Your feedback is valued and welcomed at: xml-feedback@java.sun.com, or use our feedback form.

XML Technology

Q.What is XML?

A.XML, the Extensible Markup Language, is a universal syntax for describing and structuring data independent from the application logic. XML supports data interchange in a networked environment and document publishing to multiple media and devices.

Q.Who developed XML?

A.XML is an activity of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The XML development effort started in 1996 led by Jon Bosak of Sun Microsystems, who continues to chair the XML coordination group today. Bosak organized a diverse group of markup language experts, from industry to academia, to develop a simplified version of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) for the Web. In February 1998, XML 1.0 specification became a recommendation by the W3C.

Q.What are the key benefits of XML?

A.XML promises to simplify and lower the cost for data exchange and publishing in a Web environment. XML is a text-based syntax that is portable and reusable across different platforms and devices, and can even be understood by humans. An XML document is also flexible and extensible, allowing new tags to be added without breaking an existing document structure. Through Unicode support, XML also provides global language support.

Q.What are the applications of XML?

A.XML is poised to simplify and standardize business-to-business information interchange over the Web. Specifically, XML will play a prominent role in Web applications such as e-commerce, supply-chain integration, and other business-to-business services. XML also supports media-independent publishing, allowing documents to be written once and published in different formats and for different devices.

Q.What are the benefits of using the Java technology with XML?

A.The Java and XML technologies are complementary; the Java technology provides the platform-independent, maintainable code that is needed to process platform-independent XML data. In addition, the Java technology offers a substantial productivity boost for software developers compared to programming languages such as C or C++. Using XML and Java together, developers can build powerful, platform-independent Web applications more quickly and at a lower cost.