Req. for comments/Help system

["Aldo P. Solari" <SOLARIS@cicei.ulpgc.es>]

There's a so called (initial) 'Requirements document' for  the  SEUL
Help System.  The draft was proposed by one of the coders, Ken Ducks
<twoducks@globalserve.net>.

Could you, please, have a look and comment the proposal  ?.  One  of
the  key  issues  is  whether the requirements go far enough for the
perceived needs  ?   Any  further  comments/proposals  will  be most
welcome.

Cheers,

    APS
    
Forwarded draft follows:

REQUIREMENTS. Draft version 0.1. Dec 2, 1997.

Following  is  a  preliminary  listing  of  the  existing   critical
requirements.     Any    and    all    comments,    criticisms   and
additions/subtractions are welcome.   This  is  a  first shot at the
most important requirements, intended to get them out on  the  table
where  others  may  know of them, and influence them.  They are most
definately not set in stone.

I.   Help Browser
====================

  i. Two main graphical components
    a. A main frame.
    b. One or more display plugins.
    
  ii.  Main frame performs several tasks:
    a. Document history.
    b. Document navigation.
    c. Display plugin management.
    d. Document window management.
  
  iii. Display plugin performs the following tasks:
    a. Loads and displays documents of a specified format.
  
  iv.  Display plugins are controlled by the main frame.
  
  v.  Interfaces between components  allows  any  components  to  be
       rewritten   and   replaced  by  other  components  and  other
       languages.
  
  vi.  Help access only spawns one main help process.
  
  vii. The main process may handle many display windows.
  
  viii. Every  display  plugin  (for  each  display)  has  its own
        process.  This allows plugins to be language independent.

II.  Help Interface
====================

  i.  The direct help interface is  through fifo pipes, to allow for
       language independence.
  
  ii.  A c/c++ dynamic library is supplied for simpler access.
  
  iii.   A command line interface provides the basic services to any
       language and direct use by the end user.

  iv.  The  interface  between  the  main  program  and  the display
       plugins are fifo pipes, which allows the display  plugins  to
       be written in any language.
       

III. Help Documents
====================

  i.  Documents may be written in any format (though  a  plugin  may
       not  exist  for  some  formats and would therefore have to be
       written.)
       
  ii.  Existing documentation will be used wherever possible.
  
  iii. New documents  will  be  written  to  help  achieve the SEUL
       ideals.
....
eof