[binarycloud-dev] A Request for "A Standard"

[Justin F. <je...@ey...>]

Alex:

We are still futzing along with development of modules that
will ultimately be used in our production sites, with the
r2 constraints.  Our enthusiasm for the BC model and the
implications for the future, remains unabated.

Now, one of the things that we feel a "need" for is a way
to pass data downstream from one module to another.  It
may be that we are using BC in a way that is unanticipated,
but our way, right now, is what we think best.

Here is an example to illustrate.  Let us say that we are
trying to give the location of the nearest ACME CORP store
to the site user, based upon the entry of the site user's
ZIP code.  Our module load order may be, after the round
trip passing in the ZIP:

1.  Module with some decoration output
2.  Module to merely compute great circle distance,
	no output
3.  Module to get the nearest store out of the
	database, no output
4.  Module with some decoration and output of result 

For this example data has to be dropped into global
scope, Hansel and Gretel style, by module 2 for module 3.
Then data has to be put into global scope by module 3
for module 4.

THIS IS NO PROBLEM with the facility of BC.  But, in
a production environment, when our business is going to
create numerous modules that maybe do tasks that only
differ slightly, and depend upon data "passed in" from
a previous manipulation of an upstream module, we have
to agree among ourself as to the place where this data
will be picked up, and results dropped.  So, we may
do something like, everything will be stuck in
the EYE_LUNCHBOX array/data structure, and comments will be put in
the module source as to where it expects things,
and where it will drop things in the EYE_LUNCHBOX
datastructure/array.

This is still no problem.  However, one of the advantages
of BC will be the contribution or interchange with other
developers of BC modules.  Probably every shop will have
its "own conventions", and foreign modules may have to
be tweaked slightly.

As I said, this is no problem, but I think it would
be a good idea to consider that BC supplies upon
initialization a standard place for data passing.
Sure, we could do it, and put "EYE_LUNCHBOX[]" into
our copy of Init.  But, I would rather you supply the
facility, and that this would be available for all
BC users.  You are not going to dictate that data
to be passed has to go there.  But, by you setting
up this facility, at least everybody could start
using it.

I don't think this is a trivial request, because if
BC grows up to be big, and people "use" data dropping
and picking up from a built-in standard place, the
ultimate interchange of code between developers would
become easier.

Regards,
-- 
Justin Farnsworth
Eye Integrated Communications
321 South Evans - Suite 203
Greenville, NC 27858 | Tel: (252) 353-0722