ONIX 3.0 Raises Standard for Ebook Metadata
So what are the benefits of version 3.0? First, there was a spring-cleaning based on nearly a decade of experience. ONIX 2.1 contains many XML data elements that were inherited from previous versions of ONIX. They have been superseded by better ways of expressing the information, but the old method still exists in parallel. For example, an ISBN can be carried in a data structure called . But for backward compatibility purposes, ONIX 2.1 also has a dedicated and inflexible data element for ISBNs that it inherited from ONIX 1.0. (Confusingly, the element is solely for obsolete ISBN-10s). ONIX 3.0 sacrifices some compatibility with 2.1 and sweeps away the older elements, increasing clarity, making it simpler to implement, more modular, and more flexible.
- Places:
- Europe
- North America