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Reply-To: <tma@netspace.net.au>
From: "Tim Anderson" <tma@netspace.net.au>
To: <repository@apache.org>
Subject: RE: Comments on URI Syntax
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 11:58:25 +1100
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> From: Stephen McConnell [mailto:mcconnell@apache.org]
>
> Tim Anderson wrote:
>
> >>From: Stephen McConnell [mailto:mcconnell@apache.org]
> >>
> >>Woops - see small correction in line.
> >>
> >>Stephen McConnell wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>Tim Anderson wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>>>By implication - the README is not an artifact but a feature of a
> >>>>>version.
> >>>>>Is that a reasonable conclusion?
> >>>>>Stephen.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>Why make the distinction? I view everything a project deploys as an
> >>>>artifact. Some artifacts will only be useful to end users (e.g,
> >>>>README, LICENSE.txt etc), others will be useful to tools.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>Because there is difference between aggregation of files of a
> >>>partiular type as distinct from files that describe a particular typed
> >>>file instance.  I view the "artifact" as the principal file held in a
> >>>directory qualifed by a type (e.g. the jar file in a jars directory),
> >>>and that other resources such as READMEs, LICENSEs, MD5s, etc. are
> >>>examples of data that describe features of specific things such as a
> >>>group, version, artifact, etc.
> >>>
> >>>Why make the distinction?  When I look at the available artifacts in a
> >>>/jars/ directory I will present these as an list of artifacts.  A user
> >>>may select to view the properties/features of one of these items.
> >>>Using the name of an artifact - I can locate additional information
> >>>about the artifact such as the MD5 signature, maybe the license or
> >>>some dependency information - providing there is a convention that is
> >>>predictable.  I.e. I need a mechanism to locate information about a
> >>>particular artifact - e.g.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>I left out the all important principal artifact.
> >>
> >>  <artifact-path>.<type>    <--------- the principal artifact (e.g.
> >>jars/fred.jar)
> >>  <artifact-path>.<something>  <------ some metadata
> >>  <artifact-path>.<something-else> <-- more meta data
> >>  <artifact-path>.MD5 <--------------- artifact signature
> >>  <artifact-path>.README <------------ readme about the artifact
> >>
> >>The important thing is the recognition of the difference between a file
> >>that *is* the artifact as distinct from a file that *describes*
> >>an artifact.
> >>
> >>Stephen.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>  <artifact-path>.<something>
> >>>  <artifact-path>.<something-else>
> >>>  <artifact-path>.MD5
> >>>  <artifact-path>.README
> >>>
> >>>Etc.
> >>>
> >>>Stephen.
> >>>
> >>>
> >
> >File aggregation is important to tools, less so for end-users.
> >The MD5 is just another artifact - its up to the tools
> >to determine its association with other artifacts.
> >
>
> If the MD5 is just another artifact then it would belong under
> something like:
>
>    http://www.ibiblio.org/maven/ant/md5s/some-artifact-name.md5

No it wouldn't. The <type> in the URI is optional
(see
http://nagoya.apache.org/eyebrowse/ReadMsg?listName=repository@apache.org&ms
gNo=266).
If there is a logical grouping of artifacts, they can go under
the same base path.

-Tim