See also An example
- To reuse existing Open Source [[Applications?]]
- To allow the integration of closed source applications
- To appear as one consistent interface, incorporating applications written in different languages by different people
- To provide a common look and feel for the user across all of these applications through Styles
- To provide [[Single_Sign_On?]] across all applications
- To [[Document?]] the techniques used to achieve this integration
- To encourage the use of standard schemas (e.g. Micro formats)
- To encourage the use of Open Source and Open Documents
- To act as a catalyst for new standards where they are required
- To enable the addition of advanced interfaces (DHTML, AJAX) within existing legacy applications
- To integrate applications that encourage the Social portion of the Internet (e.g. Wiki, Blog, Gallery, Calendars, Forums) - now called Web 2.0
- To facilitate generation of new styles (look and feel as well as functional) without the need for a complete understanding of the applications
- To be able to use existing styles with new applications and design new applications without understanding styles
- To encourage and provide accessible web styles
- To be lightly customisable (e.g. change style with only CSS) and heavily customisable (e.g. change style with XSL or Apache modules)
Summary
Do you like to reuse code? Would you like to be able to incorporate the best software rather than have to rewrite it? Do you find it frustrating when there is a perfect library of code and you cant use it because its not written in the language your using? Would you be able to use Open Source at your work place if you could get it work to solve problems by building solutions rather than applications?
The objective of Zaltanrna is to speed the adoption of open source by helping (via open standards) applications work together to provide solutions.
Wouldn’t it be nice if all our software could just live “nicely” together. Talk without using bad language, eat healthly and best of all be friends and share. Anyone who has tried to get {scott app one, two three} working together knows that it takes so much effort sometimes that sometimes its easier to convenience your manager to purchase software rather than spend the same or lower on integrating and installing the open source alternatives
The mission of Zaltana is to close that gap in the open source world. To make a framework of small agreements that allows applications to operate separately but cooperate – to allow you to create solutions rather than just install lots of applications.
The lack of this is one of the largest barriers that inhibit the open source community coming together and providing a more seamless linking of all its components to make efficient, highly functional, low cost solutions. And solutions (rather than separate stand alone applications) is an area Open source has yet to successfully compete in, Zaltarna is reaching out to change this. To allow PHP applications to shake hands with Java apps and those great little perl apps to join in and most importantly - operate there own way
Zaltarna does not what to change (much) about existing applications, it wants to allow innovation by keeping the framework as open as possible. Just as the internet fostered innovation by allowing everyone to create their own websites using whatever technology, content, backends etc, and all the websites worked because they agreed to use http (which came free with a web server), Zaltanran aims to do the same for applications. Use Standards (already defined) when you write your applications and then zaltarna will give you the glue to make them work together to create a Solution.
The solutions industry is much much larger that the packaged software industry and comprises much of the “enterprise” systems. The strength of a solutions based approach is that all the components will work well together.
Open Source builds components not solutions. Venders (including a number of the Zaltarna crew) have built solutions by taking Open source components and “gluing” them together in a “propiratay” or closed manner.
Zaltana stands on the backs of giants and pretends to be bigger. In so many ways this is true. Even if we ignore the internet, linux, apache, perl, php, html, css, javascript, xsl and all of the other technical components, we then get down to the definition section of Zaltana.
Zaltana can not hope to cover the world of topics that it appears to and therefore takes as much as it can from the best of other projects. A simple example of this is the Microformats. Zaltana tried to have all output as simple as possible XHMLT (XHTML2 where possible) and tries not to create new tags or attributes (but name spaces them seperately if it must). However applications do need to understand the details of the content. So instead of choosing RSS or RDF or other XML schemas, Zaltana tries to use existing XHTML tags - in such a way as it is easy to understand the code and view the content on a browser - without any changes.
Microformats covers this perfectly as it produces XHTML fragments to represent Calendars, Peole and lots more and outputs the data as simple XHTML with often special class tags or meanings. These can then be used in XSL, "choose your own lanaugae here" or even in Javascript on the browser itself - and of course just formatted via CSS. As a developer therefore you can just output the return of an internal or external AJAX style call to a DIV on your page, or process that data, extracting the bits you need.
The list of applications and specificaitons that Zaltana uses is exhaustive, and we owe a great deal to those groups who have put so much effort into creating those specifications and code.
What's in a Name
Zaltana - High Mountain - Native American
If you want a child with the self-expression for sharing their vision with others, Zaltana would be a good name.
Zaltana is a name that I choose based on to use of Apache. The idea was to use an Native American name.
Criteria included the availability of a domain name and something that be in need to an interesting especially in the software world.
Where was it found?
Baby Name Definitions
Expression: 3 A baby Girl with a Destiny of 3 is most likely destined to be some sort of inspiring creator. They grow to have the inspiration and vision to realize their happiness and the artistic ability and communication skills to share it with others. If you want a child with the self-expression for sharing their vision with others, Zaltana would be a good baby Girl name.
Soul Urge: 3 A baby with a soul urge of 3 will tend to grow into a spontaneous, energetic entertainer. If you want a social, creative bon vivant, choosing Zaltana for a baby name is a good start.
Personality: 9 People see those with Personalities of 9 as creative, generous, and benevolent. If you want a baby that people will see as an understanding, intuitive humanitarian while they grow, Zaltana would be a good baby name.
People with this baby name are magnificent and vigorous. Luck is on their side, but what they apparently lack is diligence, concentration and assiduity. They tend to dissipate their energies, often lacking earnestness about everything. These people are lively, even-tempered, witty, often gifted, but their quick mind quite often combines with carelessness and laziness. They can be ambitious and power-loving.