Eps, you're confused.
VXML is simply a voice markup language, based off of XML.
Thus it allows annotation of content/structure with voice
responses. This way, a web designer can create voice
interation with the underlying data.
GMGC's VUI is a system for creating a virtual personality,
or assistant, to front-end queries to content. It sits at
a higher level of abstraction. It's implemented in C++
and Java and thus has nothing to do with content annotation.
So, GMGC will not rewrite their VUI to VXML. That
is nonsensical.
Where this does impact GMGC is with their Web-On-Call product,
not their VUI. Eventually Web-On-Call will need to be
VXML compliant. Technically this is relatively easy - it is
simply an XML DTD. GMGC could move there very quickly.
The gating factor here will be marketing, not technology.
VXML won't even go to committee until the end of 1999.
The spec isn't even *finalized* yet. This means we won't
see VXML products until late 2000 or 2001. In other
words, the impact of this standard is a couple years off
at least. (And people tend to underestimate these things.
Remember XML itself is hardly taking the world by storm
yet, not to mention derivatives such as RDF).
Bottom line: this announcements impact is, approximately, zero.
GMGC had to fall in line with standards, but for the
next couple years we've got other fish to fry. Getting
the WK and the carriers online, for one. Making
money, for another. That's what will move this stock,
not PR about standards in 2001.
Sea Otter |
