The XML info space

XML-related standards imply an architecture of distributed information which integrates all accessible XML resources into a coherent whole. Attempting to capture the key properties of this architecture, the concept of an info space is defined. The concept is used as a tool for deriving desirable extensions of the standards. The proposed extensions aim at a fuller realization of the potential offered by the architecture. Main aspects are better support for resource discovery and the integration of non-XML resources. If not adopted by standards, the extensions may also be emulated by application-level design patterns and product-specific features. Knowledge of them might therefore be of immediate interest to application developers and product designers.