XBRL - Business Reporting Language

[Gary Bickford]

This appears to be something of relevance to the long term GNUcash
reporting direction.  The page
(http://www.oasis-open.org/cover/sgmlnew.html) on which the following
appears goes on to some length on this topic, with several other links.
 This is an excerpt.  The specification referred to is "Extensible
Business Reporting Language (XBRL) Specification"
(http://www.xbrl.org/TR/2000-07-31/XBRL-2000-07-31.htm)

And, (surprise!!) there is a website - http://www.xbrl.com.
GB

[August 03, 2000]   XBRL News - Specification and First Taxonomy
Released.    A communiqué from Charles Hoffman reports on the new
release of an XBRL specification, together with a taxonomy for financial
reporting of commercial and industrial companies. The team also reports
that some ten (10) other taxonomies, mostly international, are now under
development. The taxonomy document provides a  'taxonomy for the
creation of XML-based instance documents for business and financial
reporting of commercial and industrial companies according to US GAAP';
it is now published as "XBRL Taxonomy: Financial Reporting for
Commercial and Industrial Companies, US GAAP." Reference: 2000-07-31,
edited by Sergio de la Fe, Jr. (CPA, KPMG LLP), Charles Hoffman (CPA,
XBRL Solutions, Inc.), and Elmer  Huh (Morgan Stanley Dean Witter).
Abstract: "This documentation explains the XBRL Taxonomy Financial
Reporting of Commercial and Industrial Companies, US GAAP, dated
2000-07-31. This taxonomy is created compliant to the XBRL
Specification. It is for the creation of  XML-based instance documents
that generate business and financial reporting for commercial and
industrial companies according to US GAAP. XBRL is a specification for
the eXtensible Business Reporting Language. XBRL allows software
vendors, programmers, and end users who adopt it as a specification to
enhance the creation, exchange, and comparison of financial reporting
information. Financial  reporting includes, but is not limited to,
financial statements, financial information, non-financial information
and regulatory filings such as annual and quarterly financial
statements."