ConXML is an XML format used to describe conversational applications between people and services using clients such as the mobile phone messaging, instant messenger, and email. It allows conversational applications to be developed and deployed in an analogous way to HTML for visual applications. Many kinds of ConXML applications can be developed. These applications can include: content sharing, event management, polling, order inquiry, package tracking, driving directions, emergency notification, fiight tracking, customer relationship management, prescription refilling, audio newsmagazines, real-estate information and national directory assistance applications.

Just as HTML documents are interpreted by a visual web browser, ConXML documents are interpreted by a virtual conversation browser. This virtual browser is connected to the mobile, IM, and email networks allowing messages described in the ConXML docu- ments to be sent and received. Through HTTP this virtual browser fetches and interprets ConXML pages from other application servers while maintaining the state of the conversation in the virtual browser. It is very simple using this architecture to build highly complex ConXML applications that extend existing web applications, since the only requirements is to output an alternate markup while using the same business logic. The design decisions needed to build a conversation application are the same used to build a web application. Some applica- tions may use static ConXML pages, while others rely on dynamic ConXML page generation using an application server like RoR, Tomcat, or PHP.

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