W3C Introduces Device Independence Authoring Language (DIAL)

Mobile Carriers, Operators, Device Companies Present New Standards-based Model for Content Authoring

Today, the World Wide Web Consortium announces the publication of the Device Independence Authoring Language (DIAL), which facilitates authoring for an ever-expanding range of mobile devices. The W3C Device Independence Working Group invites review and discussion with the community of this First Public Working Draft.

“The DIAL suite makes the most of existing, established Web technologies and principles, and extends their reach with new features that better serve the needs of diverse devices”, explained Working Group Chair Rhys Lewis of Volantis. “Born of expertise from device manufacturers, software vendors, mobile operators, content companies and the accessibility community, DIAL has potential to improve the quality of mobile life.”

Content Providers Face Increasing Challenges for Content Authoring

Thousands of mobile devices with a wide range of capabilities are in use today. People have come to expect the same quality of service and wealth of information available on the move that they find on the Web at their desktop computers.

This diversity poses significant challenges to Web designers and mobile operators alike. How does one create content for upwards of 2,500 different kinds of mobile devices? How do operators deliver that content in ways that are both efficient and pleasing to the customer?

DIAL Incorporates New and Established Technologies for Authoring Ease

The DIAL approach to meeting these challenges is tried and true: content is more flexible and adaptable when data, styling, layout, and interaction are described independently.

DIAL is a language profile based on existing W3C XML vocabularies and CSS modules. These provide standard mechanisms for representing Web page structure, presentation and form interaction. DIAL also makes use of the DISelect metadata vocabulary for overcoming authoring challenges inherent in authoring for multiple delivery contexts.

DIAL Already Carries Wide Industry Support

DIAL has been developed within W3C by the Device Independence Working Group, which includes industry leaders such as ANEC (European Association for the Co-ordination of Consumer Representation in Standardisation), The Boeing Corporation, CNR–Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), France Telecom, IBM Corporation, Mobileaware, Ltd., Nokia, Segala, Vodafone, and Volantis Systems Ltd,

The work of the Device Independence Working Group serves as part of the technical foundation for W3C’s Mobile Web Initiative (MWI), making the vision of “one Web” for all devices a reality.