[ba-ohs-talk] Thinking about HyperScope
My friend Sam Hunting just suggested that I look at REST in relation to my
project NexistWiki. REST stands for REpresentational State Transfer, and
is, itself, a statement about what the Web is really about. (01)
From this page:
http://www.byte.com/documents/s=1113/byt20010816s0002/0820_udell.html (02)
Here is a quote from the creators of REST: (03)
"A distributed hypermedia architect has only three fundamental options: 1)
render the data where it is located and send a fixed-format image to the
recipient; 2) encapsulate the data with a rendering engine and send both to
the recipient; or, 3) send the raw data to the recipient along with
metadata that describes the data type, so that the recipient can choose
their own rendering engine. (04)
REST provides a hybrid of all three options by focusing on a shared
understanding of data types with metadata, but limiting the scope of what
is revealed to a standardized interface. REST components communicate by
transferring a representation of the data in a format matching one of an
evolving set of standard data types, selected dynamically based on the
capabilities or desires of the recipient and the nature of the data. " (05)
The HyperScope document, http://www.bootstrap.org/augment/BI/2120.html,
says this:
"1. In response to what may be an ordinary HTTP link, the targeted file
will be (a) retrieved from its server and (b) dynamically "translated" into
an Intermediary file (I-File) with special structure and format implemented
with XML+. 2C1
For any community seriously interested in applying HyperScope (and the
follow-on, full OHS), it is assumed that appropriate "translator modules"
will be developed for every file/db type of significance to their
collaborative efforts. It is expected that an increasing list of customized
translators will be developed as different application communities extend
the range of legacy files to be brought into integrated HyperScope use. 2C1A" (06)
I suspect that there is a fit between the capabilities REST provides and
the requirements BI2120 suggests. (07)