Open review of high-level requirements for Future Astronomical Software System

[Preben Grosbol]

Dear All,
 The OPTICON Network 3.6 on 'Future Astronomical Software Environments' aims
to define high-level requirements, architecture, and interfaces for a future
desktop system for processing and analysis of astronomical data.  This effort
emphasizes the need for a simple, desktop system with access to important
legacy tasks (e.g. from IRAF, AIPS, MIDAS, Gipsy), scalability, and good
integration with new developments of VO and GRID.  Details on the Network can
be found on <http://archive.eso.org/opticon/twiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome>.

As mentioned during the ADASS'06 BoF 2.1, this Network has finished its
internal review of high-level requirements for such an environment.

At this point we would like to solicit comments from the community at large by
starting an Internet wide review of these requirements.  The document to be
reviewed can be found on our TWiki page 'DetailedHighLevelRequirements' as the
attachment 'FaseReq_091.pdf' which is dated 2006-08-01. We will also be happy
to send you a copy on your explicit request to me.

Comments should be mailed to <pgrosbol at eso.org> before:  2007-02-06 12:00Z

They will then be circulated on the <fase at eso.org> mailing list.  After the
deadline, your comments will be discussed at a Network meeting in February.  A
full list of comments and answers will then be published by end February with
an option of discussing special comments in detail.

You are kindly asked to consider the following issues:

  1) missing requirements
  2) redundant or unnecessary requirements
  3) improvements of readability, unclear text etc. (suggestions for wording
     to replace the offending text are welcome)
  4) wrong or incomplete narratives
  5) suggestion on style or/and layout
  6) priority of requirements

In order to generate the combined file we would like you to submit your
comments as a plain ASCII text file following the instructions below in order
to process them with a simple perl script:

Indicate the location to which the comment refers by page and section in the
format e.g.

  p.7, S2.1.3:  followed by a multi-line comment for section 2.1.3 on page 7

  p.19, R2.1.1: followed by a multi-line comment for requirements R2.1.1

where the 'p.' should be in the first two characters on the line.  The perl
search pattern will be /^p\.(\d),\s*(\S):/.

Thanks you for your efforts,

Preben Grosbol