This document discusses several emerging technologies for the next generation of the web, including: 1. Structured documentation using XML to overcome HTML deficiencies and provide more structure. 2. Web visualization tools to aid navigation by making sites easier to navigate and allowing tailorable views. 3. Improved searching through the use of metadata standards and heuristic techniques. 4. A more manageable web through the use of metadata for site management and server-side management techniques. 5. Developments to make the web more accessible, customizable, collaborative, and faster.

1. 1
Next Year's Web and
How To Get There
"If I were you I wouldn't start from here!"
Brian Kelly
UK Web Focus
UKOLN
University of Bath
B.Kelly@ukoln.ac.uk

2. 2
Structured Documentation
Store web resources in a
rich structured open
master format
Why: To overcome
HTML deficiencies
Barriers: Lack of
standards. HTML
provides little structure
How: XML
Familiarisation:
Jumbo browser
See also
http://www.textuality.com/xml/

3. 3
Web Visualisation
Visualisation of a web site
to aid end user navigation
Why: To make navigation
easier for end users
To provide tailorable
views (e.g. only show
"personal home pages")
Barriers: Lack of
standards. Proprietary,
licensed software.
How: Web Collections
Familiarisation: MAPA,
NetObjects Fusion
See also WebCutter at
http://www6.nttlabs.com/
HyperNews/get/PAPER40.html
See also WebCutter at
http://www6.nttlabs.com/
HyperNews/get/PAPER40.html
http://www.dynamicdiagrams.com/

4. 4
Better Searching (1)
Why: Time wasted in
searching
Barriers: Lack of
metadata standards.
Lack of tools
How: Dublin Core
Familiarisation: Read
UKOLN resources at
http://www.
ukoln.ac.uk/
metadata/
Take part in pilot

5. 5
Better Searching (2)
Application of
heuristic techniques
in searching
Why: Time wasted in
searching
Barriers: Lack of
organisational
guidelines
How: Heuristics.
Consistency in URLs
across institution
Familiarisation: Ahoy!
http://ahoy.cs.
washington.edu:6060/

6. 6
A Manageable Web (1)
Use of metadata for site
management
Why: Site metadata on
authoring tools,
authoring methods,
document types, ..
Barriers: Lack of
standards
How: Dublin Core,
PICS, XML,...
Familiarisation:
UKOLN metadata
work
Metadata to assist with
following requests:
• Find all pages
created using
Internet Assistant v1
• Find all pages which
use Jscript
• Find pages where
author = {find author
from departed-staff}
Metadata to assist with
following requests:
• Find all pages
created using
Internet Assistant v1
• Find all pages which
use Jscript
• Find pages where
author = {find author
from departed-staff}

7. 7
A Manageable Web (2)
Use of server side
management techniques
Why: Single copy to
minimise maintenance
Barriers: Performance,
cost of software, Unix
How: Server side
includes,
Familiarisation: MS
Active Server Pages,
Netscape Suitespot,
PHP/FI, ...
<If useragent=netscape1.1 then
else if useragent= …>
<P>This resource is copyright ...
Adding code / text to static
HTML resource:
• complex
• difficult to maintain
Adding code / text to static
HTML resource:
• complex
• difficult to maintain
<#If useragent=netscape1.1 then
else if useragent= …>
<#include copyright-1.txt>
Server side management
tools:
• HTML resource clean
• easier to maintain
Server side management
tools:
• HTML resource clean
• easier to maintain

8. 8
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript">
<!-- Hide this from JavaScript-challenged browsers
var FirstSlide = 1;var LastSlide = 17; var CurrentSlide = FirstSlide;var ImageWidth = 708 - 8;
var ImageHeight = 520; var CurImageWidth = ImageWidth; var CurImageHeight = ImageHeight;
/* This function concerts numbers to strings */
function CvtNtoS(iNum)
{return ("" + iNum);}
/* This function prefixes strings with the correct # of 0's */
function ZeroFill(iNum, iDigits)
{ var sNum = CvtNtoS(iNum);
while (sNum.length < iDigits)
sNum = "0" + sNum;
return sNum;}
/* this function handles the setting the navigation buttons.
The name of navigation control is used here so change it if it is renamed */
function ItemClicked(iIndex, iNoteOnly)
{var sIndex = ZeroFill(iIndex, 3);
var sNoteHref = "note" + sIndex + ".htm";
var sSlideImage = "img" + sIndex + ".htm";
if (!iNoteOnly) // not active X, update image and nav btns
frames["SlideImage"].location.href = sSlideImage;
frames["Notes"].location.href = sNoteHref;
CurrentSlide = iIndex;}
<STRONG>Demise of Tags</STRONG>
Demise of text editor
for authoring
Why: HTML will be too
complex
Barriers: Inertia. Too
many tools!
How: Recommendations
on authoring tools
Familiarisation: Front
Page, Netobjects
Fusion, ...
<HTML><BODY >
<A HREF="JavaScript:parent.
ItemClicked(1, 0)"> An Introduction to
Metadata </A><BR>
<A HREF="JavaScript:parent.
ItemClicked(2, 0)"> UK Web Focus
</A><BR><A HREF="JavaScript:
parent.ItemClicked(3, 0)"> Early Days
of the Web (1) </A><br>
HTML><BODY >
<base target="_top">
<A HREF="JavaScript:
parent.OutlineExpand(0)"><IMG
SRC="collapse.gif" BORDER=0
ALT="Collapse"></A>
<A HREF="JavaScript:
parent.OutlineExpand(1)"><IMG
SRC="expand.gif" BORDER=0
ALT="Expand"></A>

9. 9
Richer Hyperlinking
Richer forms of hyperlinking
Why: Increased functionality
Barriers: Lack of standards
How: XML, Javascript
Familiarisation:
SoftQuad HiP,
http://www.w3.org/
XML/
XML-Linking
Multi-way links
Link destination:
• Replaces existing
document
• Included inline in
document
• Displayed in new
window
Resolve link at:
• document load
• user action
XML-Linking
Multi-way links
Link destination:
• Replaces existing
document
• Included inline in
document
• Displayed in new
window
Resolve link at:
• document load
• user action
See further instructions
Reference
Tutorial
English
French

10. 10
An Accessible Web
Web resources accessible
to people with disabilities
Why: Equality. Spinoffs
for "temporarily able-
bodied persons"
Barriers: Lack of
standards, lack of
awareness, misuse of
HTML
How: WAI, Institutional
policies
Familiarisation: WAI
pages
Technologies
• Style sheets:
control over appearance
needed by designers, but
with end user ability to
change appearance (not
achievable with images)
• Aural style sheets:
e.g. <STRONG> rendered
as LOUD voice, or pause
before phrase,
<DT>, <DD> rendered using
male / female voices,
columns in tables using left
and right stereo channels
Technologies
• Style sheets:
control over appearance
needed by designers, but
with end user ability to
change appearance (not
achievable with images)
• Aural style sheets:
e.g. <STRONG> rendered
as LOUD voice, or pause
before phrase,
<DT>, <DD> rendered using
male / female voices,
columns in tables using left
and right stereo channels

11. 11
HTML Developments
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 (Cougar)
• Document Object Model
(DOM):
APIs (application program
interface) for HTML/CSS
elements. Provides a
programming interface for HTML
(hooks for Javascript, etc.)
• Forms:
Improved forms
• Printing:
Better control over printing
• Layout:
Absolute positioning of HTML
elements, layering, etc
HTML 4.0 (Cougar)
• Document Object Model
(DOM):
APIs (application program
interface) for HTML/CSS
elements. Provides a
programming interface for HTML
(hooks for Javascript, etc.)
• Forms:
Improved forms
• Printing:
Better control over printing
• Layout:
Absolute positioning of HTML
elements, layering, etc

12. 12
Increasing Use Of Java
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
Familiarisation:
http://www.gamelan
.com/
Z39.50 clients are being
developed using Java
Z39.50 clients are being
developed using Java

13. 13
A Customisable Web
End user choice of preferred
formats (HTML or PDF, GIF
or PNG), features (frames or
tables), languages, etc.
Why: Choice for the end
user, deployment of new
features
Barriers: Lack of standards,
misuse of HTML
How: TCN, Cookies
Familiarisation:
http://tips.iworld.com/
Replace this with use of
cookies or transparent
content negotiation

14. 14
Maths
Mathematical formulae
on the web.
Why: Needed by
scientists, images of
formulae are slow and
have no semantics
Barriers: Lack of
standards
How: MML, XML, Java,
ActiveX
Familiarisation:
http://www.w3.org/
MarkUp/Math/

15. 15
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
Technologies
• Caching:
Essential!
• HTTP/1.1:
New protocol is more cache-
aware, 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
Technologies
• Caching:
Essential!
• HTTP/1.1:
New protocol is more cache-
aware, 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

16. 16
Collaborative Tools
Use of collaborative and
conferencing web tools.
Why: Provide rich
collaborative tools
Barriers: Lack of locking,
notification systems,
HTML deficiencies
How: WebDAV work,
Cougar
Familiarisation: Amaya,
http://union.ncsa.
uiuc.edu/HyperNews/
get/hypernews.html

17. 17
Push Technologies
Use of push
technologies.
Why: Push information,
teaching and learning
services to end users
Barriers: Lack of
standards, bandwidth
concerns
How: CDF
Familiarisation:
Pointcast
IE 4

18. 18
Conclusions
• The web is still developing rapidly
• Conformance to standards is
important
• Institutions will have to continually
monitor new developments
• There is a real danger that the costs
in providing web services will increase
when chasing new developments