Towards reusable and reconfigurable models for the WWW

Abstract

It is argued that reuse and component design have extensively been applied to software engineering, but reuse and formal design methods in WWW-based system is still in its infancy. Most WWW developers currently design WWW content for the most efficient delivery and do not focus on these factors. This is because, currently, any extra code added to WWW components is often seen as non-essential. This resistance will be overcome over the next few years as the way that uses view content, and the way that they connect to the WWW changes. It is thus more likely that WWW pages will become more refined, and require much shorter design cycles than they typical have now. The key to this will thus be reuse, and in new application models which improved they way that content can be viewed, and reused. With the acceptance of XML (eXtensible Markup Language) as a standard modelling language, there will be an increase in the usage of formal modelling languages, which integrate the WWW with the application domain. A good example of this is EML (Education Modelling Language), which tries to model the education process in a formal way, which can be easily interpreted within a WWW browser. In the case of EML, the language encapsulates all the content and logic of a unit of study, allowing for unprecedented reusability, portability and customisation. The focus will thus be on creating a solid model for content provision, and then creating differing ways that the content can be presented.