Re: Putting it all together

[Bruno Vernier <vernier@vc.bc.ca>]

On Tue, Mar 16, 1999 at 11:37:35PM -0800, thi wrote:
> Bruno Vernier writes: 
>  > p.s.s. VN is essentially a collection of transformation functions
>  > like netpbm for graphic formats, but for educational management.
>  > Other education projects like DrGeo are seen as standard Linux
>  > packages from VN's point of view.  Insofar as DrGeo etc... produce
>  > statistics, levels, assessment results, these can be integrated into
>  > VN's EDUML databases.  Insofar as DrGeo etc... imports histories or
>  > questions sets, these can be piped in from VN's EDUML databases.
> 
> sounds like a CORBA-type system.  why not use CORBA?  (please correct me
> if i'm way off.)

As I understand it, CORBA is one way of doing the above (with or without 
XML). However, I've discovered via the XML mailing lists, that the equivalent 
can also be achieved entirely within the XML paradigm itself with things like 
the DOM, xml-rpc or widl for example which embed the api within XML elements. 
Nothing is set in stone yet (i.e. no recommended standards yet) but it does 
seem elegant to me to try and do everything via XML itself (easier to wrap 
our overwhelmed head around). If you thought that Linux was a moving target, 
check out the XML scene... oh boy! I don't claim to be keeping up, but I 
gut-sense it is the right direction.  Unfortunately, it means that things are 
going more slowly than we had hoped for back in october 98.

Bruno