Falko Braeutigam announced Ozone 0.6, a new release of the open source Object Oriented database system with an enhanced --and faster-- XML Support.

The XML code and API has been "completely reworked" to be cleaner and faster.

A new method has also added to convert objects stored in the database to their XML representation:

xmlForObject() methods added to the API (org.ozoneDB.OzoneInterface); these methods allow to get a XML representation of each database object

Ozone has borrowed the XML byte code format from Stefano Mazzocchi and some DOM2 support from Xerces, two additions showing a synergy between Ozone and the XML Apache project.

The rapprochement between the Cocoon and Infozone appears to be affected by the departure of Mazzocchi though and has been questioned by Braeutigam:

As some of you may already know, Stefano Mazzocchi is no longer actively working on Cocoon or other Apache projects. Unfortunately we did not manage to make Prowler an Apache project before he disappeared. Without the help of him our chances to shake something within Apache are very little. So I would suggest that we no longer push in this direction.

Related stories:

• Mazzocchi takes a break from Cocoon
• Cocoon to bytecode XML
• Ozone split into Infozone, could become an Apache XML project.