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freebXML Website Launched to Host 'free' ebXML Development Projects

Hong Kong, Peoples Republic of China - September 13, 2002 - The Steering Committee of freebXML is pleased to announce today the launch of a new initiative that aims to foster the development and adoption of ebXML and related technologies. Pronounced as "Free b X M L" freebXML is an international effort comprising of founding members from technology firms, government organizations, standardization bodies, and academic institutions. Representatives include Cyclone Commerce (USA), Kasetsart University (Thailand), Korea Institute for Electronic Commerce (Korea), Sterling Commerce (USA), Sun Microsystems (USA), Sybase (USA), XML Global (Canada), and the University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China). freebXML.org is sponsored and hosted by the Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development (CECID) and Department of Computer Science & Information Systems of HKU.

The mission of freebXML is to provide a centralized Website (URL: http://freebxml.org) for ebXML users and developers from around the world to access and share 'free' ebXML code and applications. Users and developers can also exchange their ebXML development and deployment experience at freebXML.org.

Some features of freebxml.org include 'open source' projects for download, deployment or use cases of ebXML technology, a list of ebXML vendor products, latest news on freebXML, and discussion forums for developers and users. Access to freebxml.org is free of charge and open to all individuals and organizations interested in ebXML; no memberships are required.

Initially, two 'open-source' projects are available for download: Hermes and ebxmlrr. Hermes is a Message Service Handler (MSH) implementation of OASIS' ebXML Message Service V2 Standard. ebxmlrr is an implementation of the ebXML Registry/Repository V2 Standard. Donated to the ebXML development community by CECID, Hermes is released under the Academic Free License.ebxmlrr, hosted at Source Forge, is an international collaboration with developers from around the world based on the initial code donation by Sun Microsystems Inc. The ebxmlrr project is released under an Apache style open source license that permits royalty free use of the source and binaries.

freebXML.org Founding and Steering Committee Members:

The Steering Committee of freebXML provides guidance on technical and promotional direction for the freebXML initiative. Members include technical leaders from international technology firms, government organizations, standardization bodies and academic institutions.

Chair:
David Cheung,
Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Steering Committee Members:
Suresh Damodaran,
Sterling Commerce, USA
Jasmine Jang,
Korea Institute for Electronic Commerce, Korea
Somnuk Keretho,
Kasetsart University, Thailand
Francis Lau,
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Thomas Lee,
Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development, Hong Kong, China
Matthew Mackenzie,
XML Global, Canada
Dale Moberg,
Cyclone Commerce, USA
Himagiri (Hima) Mukkamala,
Sybase, USA
Farrukh Najmi,
Sun Microsystems, USA
Nikola Stojanovic, Individual Member, USA

About CECID (http://www.cecid.hku.hk):
Established in January 2002, the Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development (CECID) at the University of Hong Kong conducts e-commerce research and development with the vision of helping Hong Kong increase its competitiveness in the international arena. CECID has the missions to develop e-commerce enabling technologies, to join important international e-commerce initiatives, to support e-commerce standardization for Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific Region, and to transfer e-commerce technology and skills to the community. As an OASIS member, CECID is participating in the standardization projects, such as
ebXML and Universal Business Language (UBL). CECID also collaborates with a number of lead technology users in the Asia Pacific Region on the application of advanced e-commerce technologies.

About ebXML (http://www.ebxml.org):
The mission of ebXML is to provide an open XML-based infrastructure enabling the global use of electronic business information in an interoperable, secure and consistent manner by all parties. ebXML (Electronic Business using Extensible Markup Language), sponsored by
UN/CEFACT and OASIS, is a modular suite of specifications that enables enterprises of any size and in any geographical location to conduct business over the Internet. Using ebXML, companies now have a standard method to exchange business messages, conduct trading relationships, communicate data in common terms and define and register business processes.

About OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org):
OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) is a not-for-profit, global consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of e-business standards. Members themselves set the OASIS technical agenda, using a lightweight, open process expressly designed to promote industry consensus and unite disparate efforts. OASIS produces worldwide standards for security, Web services, XML conformance, business transactions, electronic publishing, topic maps and interoperability within and between marketplaces.

About Sun Microsystems (http://www.sun.com ):
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- The Network Is The ComputerTM -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW), to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that power the Internet and allow companies worldwide to dot-com their businesses. With $19.2 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 170 countries.

PR Contacts for Press and Analysts:
Dorris Tai (
cwtai@cecid.hku.hk)
Business Manager
Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development (CECID)
Dept. of Computer Science & Information Systems
The University of Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2859 2818
Fax: +852 2547 4611
URL:
http://www.cecid.hku.hk