The XML Security Working Group has published three Last Call Working Drafts: XML Encryption Syntax and Processing Version 1.1, XML Signature Syntax and Processing Version 1.1, and XML Security Generic Hybrid Ciphers. The group also published a Working Draft of XML Security Algorithm Cross-Reference. XML Encryption specifies a process for encrypting data and representing the result in XML. XML Signatures provide integrity, message authentication, and/or signer authentication services for data of any type, whether located within the XML that includes the signature or elsewhere. The third document augments XML Encryption by defining algorithms, XML types and elements necessary to enable use of generic hybrid ciphers in XML Security applications. The final document summarizes XML Security algorithm URI identifiers and the specifications associated with them. Last Call comments are welcome through 10 June. Learn more about the Security Activity.

The Voice Browser Working Group has published a Working Draft of State Chart XML (SCXML): State Machine Notation for Control Abstraction. SCXML is a general-purpose event-based state machine language that can be used in many ways. It can be used as a high-level dialog language controlling VoiceXML 3.0's encapsulated speech modules. It can also be used as a voice application metalanguage, where in addition to VoiceXML 3.0 functionality, it may also control database access and business logic modules. Learn more about the Voice Browser Activity.

W3C is pleased to announce the creation of the Audio Incubator Group, whose mission is to explore the possibility of starting one or more specifications dealing with various aspects of advanced audio functionality, including reading and writing raw audio data, and synthesizing sound or speech. The Audio Incubator Group will engage the various constituents of such specifications, including musicians, audio engineers, accessibility experts, user-interface designers, implementers, and hardware manufacturers, to collect use cases and requirements on what can and should be done for various specifications at different levels of priority, and deliver one or more reports including recommendations for specification work items. The following W3C Members have sponsored the charter for this group: Mozilla Foundation, PUC-Rico, BBC, and Google. Read more about the Incubator Activity, an initiative to foster development of emerging Web-related technologies. Incubator Activity work is not on the W3C standards track but in many cases serves as a starting point for a future Working Group.

The XSL Working Group has published the First Public Working Draft of XSL Transformations (XSLT) Version 2.1. This specification defines the syntax and semantics of XSLT 2.1, a language for transforming XML documents into other XML documents. The main focus for enhancements in XSLT 2.1 is the requirement to enable streaming of source documents. This is needed when source documents become too large to hold in main memory, and also for applications where it is important to start delivering results before the entire source document is available. The approach adopted in this specification is twofold: it identifies a set of restrictions which, if followed by stylesheet authors, will enable implementations to adopt a streaming mode of operation without placing excessive demands on the optimization capabilities of the processor; and it provides new constructs to indicate that streaming is required, or to express transformations in a way that makes it easier for the processor to adopt a streaming execution plan. Learn more about the Extensible Markup Language (XML) Activity.

The Rule Interchange Format (RIF) Working Group has published six Proposed Recommendations. Together, they allow systems using a variety of rule languages and rule-based technologies to interoperate with each other and with Semantic Web technologies.

Three of the drafts define XML formats with formal semantics for storing and transmitting rules:

• The RIF Production Rule Dialect (PRD) is designed for the kinds of rules used in modern Business Rule Management systems.
• The RIF Basic Logic Dialect (BLD) is a foundation for Logic Programming, classical logic, and related formalisms.
• The RIF Core Dialect is the common subset of PRD and BLD, useful when having a ubiquitous platform is paramount.

The other drafts:

• RIF Datatypes and Builtins (DTB) specifies the datatypes and standard operations (modeled on XPath Functions) available in all RIF dialects
• RIF RDF and OWL Compatibility specifies how RIF works with RDF, RDFS, OWL 1, and OWL 2.
• RIF Framework for Logic Dialects (FLD) provides a mechanism for specifying extended dialects, beyond BLD, when more expressive power is required.

The group has also published a new version of RIF Test Cases, and three other Working Drafts: RIF Overview, RIF Combination with XML data and OWL 2 RL in RIF.

RIF implementation information is available. Review comments are welcome until 8 June. Learn more about the Semantic Web Activity.

The Web Applications Working Group has published a second Last Call Working Draft of Digital Signatures for Widgets. This document defines a profile of the XML Signature Syntax and Processing 1.1 specification to allow a widget package to be digitally signed. Widget authors and distributors can digitally sign widgets as a mechanism to ensure continuity of authorship and distributorship. Comments are welcome through 01 June. Learn more about the Rich Web Client Activity.