[exprla-devel] RE: [XPL] Direction and purpose of XP

[reid_spencer <ras...@re...>]

--- In xpl-dev@y..., "Richard Anthony Hein" <935551@i...> wrote:

  -----Original Message-----
  From: cagle@o... [mailto:cagle@o...]
  Sent: June 9, 2000 3:03 PM
  To: xpl@e...
  Subject: [XPL] Direction and purpose of XP


  Also, about MathML -- MathML is a markup language for describing 
both the
visual representation of mathematical equations and the conceptual
underpinnings of these equations.  It doesn't actually contain any 
code for
the interpretation of equations -- this would have to be handled by a 
third
party component.  However, there's nothing that says that an XPL class
couldn't do just that, converting a MathML stream into a functional
representation of that stream; indeed, since the language is 
basically a
pre-processor language that would mean that the MathML representation 
would
be conceivably encoded as a binary executable at that point, which 
would
make it very efficient.

  That's right!  And we can use the same MathML that we convert into a
functional representation to describe the function in SOAP.  So 
imagine
someone needs function that solves the formula y = 3x + 1/x.
  They simply would have to search for the component (it may be in the
library) by writing it this way, or by allowing input into a GUI 
template
(using XSL) and when they submit, XSLT transforms that input into 
MathML
content and searches using Service Description Language in SOAP to 
find that
very function.

  The input could be a MathML stream as well.  We could always layer 
easier
to use names on top of the function real name.  In a business 
environment y=
3x + 1/x might be used to calculate financial information, so it 
could be
assigned a name that is appropriate for that environment, like 
CalcTax,
which takes user input for x and spits out an integer y, but the real 
name
is the MathML.  That way we could use the very same function to draw 
the
curve y = 3x + 1/x  as part of a simulation program.  The curve is 
drawn by
calling the y=3x +1/x expression and passing in a stream of x, which 
can be
assigned during the call, as the input parameter.  y gets passed out 
and is
used by the draw function to draw a point (x,y).

  There would be reusable code across business types if you could do 
this.
Why write tons of new code to make a puff of smoke appear on screen 
when you
can use MathML that describes the behaviour and search for functions 
that
exist.  They could have been created for any purpose (say, fluid 
mechanics)
but will be usable by your program to describe the exact behaviour.  
If
there isn't a functional representation of the MathML available, then 
you
could make one using our XPL class that interprets equations.

  Am I reaching here?  Does any of this make sense to anyone?

  Richard A. Hein
--- End forwarded message ---