W3C was founded in October 1994 to lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing technologies that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability. A long way has been covered since then, in particular with the publication of XML 1.0 as a W3C Recommendation. In 2001, W3C released Core technologies such as XSL 1.0, XML Schema 1.0, or the XML Information Set. 2002 was, as usual, a busy and challenging year for the W3C participants.

The XML Activity, Phase 4, started in June 2002. The XML Core Working Group released the XML Conformance Test Suite 20020606 in June, in collaboration with NIST. The group produced as well drafts for XML 1.1 and XML Namespaces 1.1. The XML Query Working Group continued its work, including on XQuery 1.0 and on the XML Query/XPath 2.0 Data Model. The XML Schema Working Group is now working on XML Schema 1.1 and the Post-Schema-Validation Infoset (PSVI). The XML Linking Working Group is finishing XPointer, and introduced a completely new framework for it.

Other W3C Working Groups kept working as well:

- the XSL Working Group, while working on the XML Query/XPath 2.0 Data Model with the XML Query group, is moving XSL 2.0 forward.

- the DOM Working Group moved several modules of DOM Level 3 in Last Call, including XPath, Events and Validation.

- XML Signature was released as W3C Recommendation in February 2002. The Working Group is now finishing the XML-Signature XPath Filter 2.0.

- The Encryption Working Group released a set of requirements as well as a first draft for the XML Encryption Syntax and Processing.

In January 2002, W3C started the Web Services Activity. The XML Protocol Working Group, created in 2000, produced a Last Call Working Draft for SOAP 1.2, Adjuncts, and Attachments. The group addressed almost 400 issues on the documents during this last call period. The Web Services Description Working Group published a first of drafts for WSDL 1.2 and its Binding part and the Web Services Architecture Working Group released a first draft of the Web Architecture for Web Services.

In 2003, we can expect a W3C Recommendation for SOAP 1.2. The XML Core Working Group will start its work on the XML Processing Model. XML 1.1 and XML Namspaces 1.1 should exit the Candidate Recommendation status in February 2003. An update of the Conformance Test Suite to address XML 1.1 will probably follow. DOM Level 3 will be completed. Those documents won't certainly be the only ones to be completed, so make sure to receive our Weekly News announces from w3c-announce@w3.org.