UDDI Version 2 spec released

The Universal Description Discover and Integration (UDDI) project has announced improved support for internationalisation.

This means more flexibility in describing business and services in multiple languages as part of the latest specification.

UDDI, Version 2, also includes additional categorisation and identifierschemes that allow businesses to use additional industry-specificcategories and identifiers to describe themselves and the web-based services they offer.

In addition, more sophisticated searching features are built-in.

In September, Microsoft, IBM and Ariba proposed the UDDI standard thatallows businesses to register with an internet directory to helpcompanies advertise their services over the qeb.

With the backing of more than 280 companies, the group officially launched a Yellow Pages-style directory, the UDDI Business Registry, which aims to make it easier for businesses to provide information about their products and services on the web, as well as locate partners and customers.

A number of registries that use differing protocols already exist on the web, but the founding companies began the UDDI effort as a way to make web-based business-to-business commerce work more smoothly.

Analysts at Gartner are sceptical, however, questioning whether company CIOs need another emerging technology standard.

"But UDDI, a web-based directory that acts much like a phone book, has the advantage of thus far remaining free of the politics inherent in a standards setting body," Gartner's Daryl Plummer said.

Plummer also said Version 2 of the UDDI specification delivers a number of important features that will facilitate business-to-business ecommerce.