Apps Messaging - Semantics of a Message

[Doug Tody]

Hi Alasdair -

I think this is what we are all talking about.  All of the use-cases
for messaging we have in mind involve actual astronomy software,
and are based on real experience with actual astronomy software that
uses messaging.  The actual experience with messaging in astronomy
applications goes back far before PLASTIC came along.

I think we would all like to end up with something which is relatively
simple to use for "simple" inter-tool/app messaging.  However if this
is to be a useful astronomy standard which lasts a while, it should be
based on a carefully thought out design and underlying messaging model.
The simplication occurs mostly in the specification of the protocol and
message content model used for the more limited class of applications
we have in mind initially.

If too many short cuts are taken, we will indeed end up with "yet another"
astronomy messaging implementation.

 	- Doug


On Mon, 9 Apr 2007, Alasdair Allan wrote:

>
> Mike Fitzpatrick wrote:
>> I disagree, what possible use is "here's a table" as a message
>> other than to generate a "so what" reply?  A response to a get.datatype
>> message might encode the answer this way but the mtype of the reply will
>> still be status.reply.
>
> Just to make the point, we are not here to build yet another general purpose 
> messaging bus for generic applications. We can take short cuts and make 
> assumptions because what we're here to build is a specific type of messaging 
> system designed to send astronomy specific data to astronomy specific 
> applications, possibly all confined to a single desktop machine.
>
> Al.