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FREE online courses on ECOMMERCE FUNDAMENTALS - Architectural framework
for E commerce |
The Internet's potential is
imperiled by digital anarchy, closed markets that
cannot use each other's services, incompatible applications and frameworks
that cannot interoperate or build upon each other and an array of security and
payment options that confuse consumers
One solution to these problems is an object-oriented
architectural framework for Internet commerce. Several major vendors of
E-commerce solutions have announced
versions of such a framework. The major platforms are:
·
IBM Commerce Point
·
Microsoft Internet Commerce
Framework
·
Netscape ONE (Open Network
Environment)
·
Oracle NCA (Network Computing
Architecture)
·
Sun/Javasoft JECF (Java
E-commerce Framework).
Recently, four of these companies have agreed to support a
common distributed object model based on CORBA IIOP (Common Object Request
Broker Architecture Internet Inter-ORB Protocol). Yet for commerce on the
Internet to thrive, such systems must also interoperate at a business
application level. A consumer or business using one framework should be able to
shop for, purchase and pay for goods and services offered on a different
framework. This is currently not possible.
In response,
CommerceNet, a non-profit organization created to
help businesses and consumers use the Internet for buying and selling, is
organizing Eco System, a cross-industry effort to build a framework of
frameworks, involving both E‑commerce vendors and end users.
The success of this process clearly depends on market leaders
in each area participating actively in their respective task forces. Everyone's software has to work together because no single
company can control what platform its customers will use.
