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Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 13:23:48 -0400
From: Berin Loritsch <bloritsch@apache.org>
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To: Avalon Developers List <avalon-dev@jakarta.apache.org>
Subject: Re: [RT] Attributes (possibly the ravings of a mad man!)
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Leo Sutic wrote:
> The metainfo for components already requires a tree structure,
> if I understand the metainfo package correctly.
> 
> This would mean that we'd have attributes *and* XML, which
> lowers the utility of the attributes way of doing things.
> 
> The problems as I see it are:
> 
>  + Future incompatibility with Java standard.
> 
>  + Requires own classloader / etc, limiting the scenarios
>    Avalon can be used in.
> 
>  + Still requires XML descriptor.
> 
>  + Requires custom compilation process.
> 
> So what's the *gain*, versus XML descriptor?
> 
> The above is from a "let's make this the Avalon way" perspective.
> If you want to try this out in a sandbox or something, then by
> all means go ahead. It is cool in the extreme.

That was my intention.  All an [RT] (Random Thought) is for is to
figure out if there is enough interest to start a sandbox environment
to begin testing.

> But before this can be an Avalon standard, I think you'll have to
> solve the problems I listed above. I thought the same thoughts
> you did when I saw BCEL (I also considered addition of DBC) - and 
> after realizing that it just solved 50% of the problem while 
> introducing new potential pitfalls, I scrapped the idea.

Without a doubt.  You know me, I don't just start doing things to
do them.  I test the waters first, then I go in the general direction
after I have decent feedback.  And I like constructive criticism like
you gave ;P.  It helps keep from pulling an "Alice in Wonderland"
experience of going down the wrong rabit trail.

It is something that I want to experiment with later--unless the
Meta Info API is published before then.


-- 

"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
  deserve neither liberty nor safety."
                 - Benjamin Franklin


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