Re: [xtm-wg] A challenge on "the graph"

["W. Eliot Kimber" <eliot@isogen.com>]

Lars Marius Garshol wrote:

> That is true, but I don't think it's a very good argument for why we
> should do things in the wrong order. What's wrong with first
> completing the data model and then doing the API?

I'm not suggesting we do the API first, only that we aren't done until
we have defined an API. To do it right, you must define the model first
and then the API that exposes that model. On that we appear to agree
completely.

On issues like concurrency--I think we are talking about different
things or maybe we have different approaches to engineering.

I don't see a problem with an API saying "here's how you modify a topic
map" and leaving it at that. In a single-user system, that is sufficient
and there are no concurrency issues. In a multi-user system *that
system* has to figure out how to handle concurrency, but that's an
implementation policy issue. You could, for example, give every user
their own view of the constructed topic map so that changes to the
underlying data are not reflected for that user until they
reconstruct--that is the grove way to do it and is how we've implemented
our multi-user hyperdocument management system. Or you could have
locking policies that disallow change to topic map components under
active view or you could have dynamic reflection of changes. I don't see
this as an API issue.

For example, the DOM could be applied in a multi-user environment and
raise exactly the same concurrency issues you cite, but the DOM doesn't
have to say anything about concurrency and it doesn't.

I think that Lars and I are in fact pretty much in complete agreement
except on the issue of using UML as the modeling language.

Cheers,

E.
-- 
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W. Eliot Kimber | Lead Brain

1016 La Posada Dr. | Suite 240 | Austin TX  78752
    T 512.656.4139 |  F 512.419.1860 | eliot@isogen.com

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