HKU CECID Released ebMail Source Code to ebXML Development Community

[Patrick Yee <kcyee@cecid.hku.hk>]

ebMail Source Code Donated to ebXML Development Community

Hong Kong, Peoples Republic of China – June 12, 2003 – Center for
E-Commerce Infrastructure Development (CECID), Department of Computer
Science and Information Systems (CSIS), The University of Hong Kong
(HKU) is pleased to announce its code base donation of ebMail to the
ebXML development community. This open-source project is released
under the Academic Free License
(http://www.opensource.org/licenses/academic/hph) that permits royalty
free use of the source and binaries. Developers are encouraged to
download ebMail at www.freebxml.org and subscribe to the mailing lists
set up at sourceforge (http://sourceforge.net/projects/ebmail) for
enquiries.

ebMail is a desktop e-mail client which helps organizations,
small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SME) in particular, to engage in
B2B e-commerce activities. This lightweight toolkit enables trading
partners to exchange business documents cost-effectively through
email, or ebXML Message Service (ebMS) over Simple Mail Transport
Protocol (SMTP). ebMail is a trimmed-down ebMS handler which does not
require any application server software and dedicated Internet
connection to use ebXML. It allows a user to compose electronic
documents offline through graphical user interface (GUI), and send and
receive documents when the user is connected to the Internet.

ebMail employs plug-in modules to provide different graphical user
interface (GUI) forms for capturing business data into different
schemas of XML documents (e.g. price quotation, purchase order,
invoice, etc.) and binary file attachments (e.g. PDF, graphics, etc.).
These plug-ins can load, save, and manipulate business data in the
local file system, as well as import documents from office
applications to the GUI for efficient document handling. ebMail
plug-ins can also handle simple business processes that define
choreographies of document exchanges.

A Java-based and platform-neutral application, ebMail provides a Java
API for third-party developers to create plug-ins. The plug-in API
allows developers to program GUI handlers, convert input data into XML
documents of a specific schema, and develop advanced features, such as
document management in the local file system.

XML documents composed by ebMail plug-ins are packaged into ebMS
messages and send and receive messages in ebMS/SMTP through central
mechanisms. Furthermore, ebMail can digitally sign and encrypt
outgoing documents, and decrypt and authenticate incoming documents
using digital certificates, and it makes use of ebMS code from another
open-source project, Hermes (http://www.freebxml.org).

ebMail was developed by CECID under the auspices of Project Phoenix.
Project Phoenix is primarily sponsored by the Innovation and
Technology Commission of the Hong Kong Government. Two of the pilot
project partners using ebMail are Department of Health of the Hong
Kong Government and Hong Kong Observatory. CECID has developed a
prototype based on ebMail for the Department of Health to streamline
its pharmaceutical products import and export licensing application
procedure. The Center is starting the development of a new ebMail
plug-in for Hong Kong Observatory, which has been designated by the
United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to collect
world weather information for the WMO’s Website.

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 mission
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 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 freebXML (http://www.freebxml.org)
FreebXML is an initiative that aims to foster the development and
adoption of ebXML and related technologies. The mission of freebXML is
to provide a centralized Website for ebXML users and developers to
access and share ‘free’ ebXML code, applications, and development and
deployment experience. Founding members of this initiative include
technical leaders from international technology firms, government
organizations, standardization bodies, and academic institutions.
FreebXML is sponsored and hosted by CECID and the Department of
Computer Science & Information Systems of HKU.

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.

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