Re: [ubl-comment] Calling for a free, open metadata registry

[Phil Griffin <phil.griffin@asn-1.com>]

Is this is another one of those spoofs like
ftp://ftp.rfc-editor.org/in-notes/rfc3252.txt?

Phil


Randy Gordon wrote:
> 
> Actually, it is easy enough to do in Zope/CMF, but I am just getting up to
> speed on UBL. (I just downloaded the documents the other night. I haven't
> even read them yet). As soon as I do, I will get an implementation running.
> 
> If you do it in ZOPE/CMF, you can distribute it for free(at least I think
> so. Open Source licenses can be tricky). Zope has lots of neat properties
> that make it very attractive for sophisticated object repositories.
> .....
> 
> For those of you who are not familiar with ZOPE/CMF <http://www.zope.org>,
> It is a free Open Source object toolkit/database/Allserver (Web, SMTP, FTP,
> WEBDAV, XML-RPC, etc) that can serve objects over the Web to just about any
> kind of browser. Objects can be created, managed, deleted and viewed
> completely through a standard Web Browser such as Internet Explorer,
> Netscape or Konqueror. CMF (Content Management Framework) adds content
> management support to ZOPE.
> 
> There is access control, querying, indexed search, versioning, undo, access
> and history available for each object or object tree, and all objects and
> methods are accessible via XML-RPC. Zope Objects use a form of inheritance
> called acquisition, where the method and properties of an object are
> dependent on the path used to access the object. a sort of run time virtual
> method or attribute.
> 
> With the Page Templates extension, you get a sort of advanced XPATH/XLINK
> called TALES/TAL/MeTal, which allows you to incorporate parts of objects
> into other objects based on XPath style TALES pointers. Add in Acquisition
> based context dependency, and you caneven  represent sophisticated natural
> language understanding object graphs in Zope, something that normally
> requires sophisticated bisimulation (I know that's confusing. Just take my
> word for it, you can create object graphs that would startle MC Escher and
> make Salvador Dali and Picasso weep over their lack of imagination)
> 
> With the addition of the Content Management framework extension, a Basic
> Dublin Core metadata is added, with the  ability to modify or expand upon it
> for each object individually, as well as personalize the object collection
> on an individual by individual basis (It is a portal, after all). From what
> I know of ebXML, Zope has far more Knowledge Representation capabilities
> than what is required for this application. There is also a basic publish
> workflow for each object, and you can syndicate objects for RSS feeds, as
> well as add a threaded discussions to each object.
> 
> With the ZEO extension, Zope servers can be clustered, and with the ZSyncer
> extension Zope Objects can be mobile and distributed.
> THere are over 500 other extensions, including the ability to use just about
> anything, including databases such as Oracle 9i and native file systems, as
> though they were part of the object database.
> 
> Zope is written (mostly) in Python, a object oriented language that runs on
> more platforms than Java, everything from Apple Mac's to PalmPilots to
> ZServers. There are currently over 500,000 Python programmers and 20+ books
> in English.
> 
> Zope uses a very small footprint and installs automatically on most
> platforms. (I run it on Linux and Windows 2000, include on a Sony Vaio 333
> MHZ Pentium II with 128M memory) In addition you can add in Jython (Java
> Python) support and access all Java libraries, CPython, and access all C++
> libraries, Python.NET, and access all .NET libraries, and WinPython, and
> access all COM, Com+ and Win 32 PDK libraries. With WxPython, you can have a
> platform indepoendent Windows like GUI. (The platform extension are
> particularly neat. I created a COM object in two lines of code, then added
> an XML RPC remote procedure calls in another three lines, resulting in
> linking Microsoft Office to Zope.)
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Todd Boyle [mailto:tboyle@rosehill.net]
> Sent: Monday, April 01, 2002 8:20 PM
> To: ubl-comment@lists.oasis-open.org
> Subject: [ubl-comment] Calling for a free, open metadata registry
> 
> Whoops, I posted the wrong list!  Hope you find this interesting,
> Respectfully,
> Todd
> 
> To: oagis-users@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Calling for a free, open metadata registry
> Cc:
> ebtwg-ccs@lists.ebtwg.org,bl-discussion@lists.commerce.net,xbrl-public@yahoo
> groups.com
> 
> This is an open request to OAG, which I will also post to other e-
> business metadata standards organizations.
> 
> Please establish a free, Core Components registry service on the net.
> 
> Provide programmatic and manual interfaces that allow any user to upload
> any elements they need, and archive them forever on a read-only basis
> with a GUIDs starting from 00000000001.
> 
> Provide a free programmatic interface forever thereafter, so that a UID
> can be resolved into its meaning.  Become the "Hotmail" of e-business
> metadata.
> 
> The table structure is just an eleven-column table, reflected in the
> initial library of core components, which has not changed since May
> 2001. (The Word doc or PDF doc.)
> 
>     0  String    UID
>     1  String    DictionaryEntryName
>     2  String    CCTused
>     3  String    BasicOrAggregate
>     4  String    definition
>     5  String    remarks
>     6  String    ObjectClass
>     7  String    PropertyTerm
>     8  String    RepresentationTerm
>     9  String    BusinessTerms
>     10 String    CoreComponentChildren  (comma-delimited list)
> 
> There is no need for ebXML Context, Constaints Language, or distinction
> between a Core Component and Business Entity.
> 
> A simple CC has no CoreComponentChildren.  Aggregate CCs have
> CoreComponentChildren which may also be Aggregates.  Therefore, entire
> business documents may be represented in this registry.
> 
> I have worked with this approach and provide sample python code,
> documentation, and a sample registry at http://www.arapxml.net. (I am
> not an employee of the ARAP Project or its owners, and this message is
> my personal opinion. )
> 
> At ebTWG Seattle, Feb. 6th, Arofan Gregory argued at length that the
> requirement of uniqueness in DictionaryEntryName be dropped, thus
> allowing all of the large (incompatible) libraries to be entered into
> ebXML registries entirely, without change.  This allows the registry to
> be a one-stop mapping and transformation resource.
> 
> Transformation today is an expensive, bilateral, custom job -- because
> of the N-squared problem, cost of tools, and fundamentally incompatible
> visions (ISO 11179/reg.rep's, versus UML/BP, vs XML/XSLT etc.)
> 
> This free, public registry could provide a 2nd interface dedicated to
> mappings. Thereby, potentially accumulating all of the mappings in the
> world, in computable format. Of course you run straight into the
> constraints language and numerous patented proprietary mapping systems.
> Therefore, best approach is the law of the jungle:  let the best
> elements and schemas beat the others to death, in public adoption.
> 
> Registry content could be replicated to mirror sites or local caches
> since it would be completely static (write-once, read-only).
> 
> I think an organization like OAG should start up this server, pay the
> money to make it blazing fast, and put in the governance to prevent any
> tracing or tracking of accesses of the metadata other than to maintain
> usage counts and analytics of data elements for public consideration.
> 
> Registry content could be replicated to mirror sites or local caches
> since it would be completely static (write-once, read-only). Licensing
> of mirror sites might require they report usage metrics to a summary
> counter.  So, you may end up with a federation of trusted metadata
> registries.
> 
> Registry subsets could be published by orders of magnitude: the top 100
> elements, the top 1000 elements, top 10000 elements, etc.
> 
> Like the NASDAQ your vocabulary gets bumped out of the top 1000 if it's
> not being used. Arcane and rarely-used elements and schemas will be
> demoted into the 10,000,000 element registry subset where it takes five
> seconds to get a UID resolved, and there's no computable mapping.
> Meanwhile, ordinary users of the top 1000 will get an element resolved
> in microseconds, from their cache in the local PC.
> 
> This server will require adequate technical measures to prevent denial
> of service attacks, intrusion, or other malicious behaviors.
> 
> Within a short period of time, the elements having the best conceptual
> definition and shape, would start to see large numbers of users, and
> voila:  A de-facto standard based on usage, instead of the decisions of
> dominant vendors.
> 
> Some further comments, in this ebTWG Core Components message,
> http://lists.ebtwg.org/archives/ebtwg/200203/msg00047.html
> 
> Just one final note.  The ISO 11179 concept of expert, highly skilled
> Registration Authority, is not appropriate to business, because the
> financial and political consequences of metadata design decision
> predominate.  In contrast to scientific domains, business metadata lacks
> any sufficient empirical or expert basis for decisionmaking.
> 
> The UN/CEFACT has failed to articulate any objective basis and has a
> failure of intellect.  Its vision of central planning and benevolent
> philosopher kings ignores markets, and ignores democratic principles.
> 
> Its process for populating registries will be politically delegated to
> its Domains. It has even provided separate "Contexts" in registries for
> duplicative implementations of the same semantic entities by domains.
> There is an obvious problem of concentrated benefit and distributed
> cost, i.e. the decisions favor participating organizations at the
> expense of nonparticipating ones: individuals and small business,
> as well as huge segments of the software industry who don't participate.
> 
> Todd Boyle CPA  9745-128th Ave NE  Kirkland WA
> International Accounting Services, LLC  www.gldialtone.com
> tboyle@rosehill.net  425-827-3107    alt.recovery.ebxml
> 
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