applications software metadata

[Tony Linde]

You must be a mind reader, Sebastien. I was thinking that only half an hour
ago. We need to be able to say that an app can be instantiated as a
server-side, ui-less command which takes parameters and returns results OR
can be downloaded and run as a GUI-type tool. 

Next step, perhaps, is some sort of client-side registry which lists the
apps downloaded already, the interfaces they support, how they might be
invoked (via PLASTIC of course :) ), etc.

I do think that a flat registry is still preferable, but one which allows an
app to state that it is of both type CLIENT and of type SERVER and has
distinct interfaces in each instantiation. This then allows the addition of
other types, GRID perhaps, which we cannot yet describe.

T.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-registry at eso.org [mailto:owner-registry at eso.org] 
> On Behalf Of Sebastien Derriere
> Sent: 02 February 2006 13:46
> To: registry at ivoa.net
> Subject: Re: applications software metadata
> 
> 
> > The prime distinction will need to be between apps requiring 
> > intermediate user intervention (GUI-type apps being the obvious 
> > extreme) and those which can be executed automatically (eg 
> as part of 
> > a workflow) with all user intervention completed before the 
> app is submitted.
> 
>   Hi Tony,
> 
>   I totally agree that this is an essential distinction to be made:
> distinguish
> which applications can be run without human interaction, and 
> those that require/ allow human interaction (via a GUI or 
> command line input).
>   But the distinction might not be always that easy:
> - Aladin, if described as a single application, can be used 
> both as an interactive tool, or be run with script command 
> without interface, and possibly included in a pipeline
> - we might need to think about ways of having hierarchical 
> entries in the registry, to avoid having a fully 'flat' 
> registry, with specific apps registered at the same level as 
> general tools: what if someone decides to register every 
> function of the IDL-Astrolib library of functions as 
> individual applications? These functions would get registered 
> at the same level as the IDL application itself?
> 
> Sebastien.
> 
> 
> -- 
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