But Worldpac, an auto parts importer and distributor, thinks HTML, the authoring software of the Web, is a dead end. Worldpac is going to distribute XML client software from ThinLink Solutions to its repair-shop customers rather than asking them to use Web browsers. Worldpac expects to be using ThinLink's XML server, now under development, within a few months. With the XML server, Hellweg says he'll have a much faster, more powerful way for his customers to order parts than they do today. People accessing the ThinLink application server via the Internet see the Worldpac electronic catalog of auto parts.
Users can place orders or download pricing information.
Mechanics still spend a lot of time taking the pricing data they download from Worldpac and typing it into desktop applications from vendors, such as WinWorks Software and Snap-On Tools Co., to create repair estimates, he says. With XML, Worldpac thinks pricing data can be downloaded directly into these software applications. Feedback Tell us your thoughts on this article or the issues raised in it. When you click Submit, you'll be taken back to this article. One could raise legitimate questions about the deal, but there are positives.