[exprla-devel] [xpl] Requirements for Discussion

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

--- In xpl-dev@y..., Jonathan Burns <saski@w...> wrote:
It's late at night, and I realize that the following needs serious
editing. Nonetheless, the intent should mostly be clear...

Requirements:


1. XPL will be a set of conventions for representing algorithms
  as XML documents.

  It will include conventions for representing algorithms of
  at least the following kinds:

  1.1  Tree-structured expressions, combining typed operands
       and operators.

  1.2  Procedural control-flow, including the standard loop
       and conditional constructions.

  1.3  Typed function calls, comprising "protocols" (OOP),
       i.e. "signatures" (abstract data types).

  1.4  Rule-based transformations of tree-structured expressions.

  1.5  Aggregation of function protocols into class interfaces.

  1.6  Aggregation of interfaces, to allow interface inheritance.

  1.7  Binding of external operations to formal XPL operations;
       e.g. callback functions activated from parsing.

  1.8  Regular expressions and EBNF grammars.

  1.9  Parsers implementing the recognition of regular expressions
       and grammars.

  1.10 Declaration of storage locations, with scope and lifetime
       determined by the decaring XPL program.

  1.11 Reference to storage locations by URLs or URIs.

  1.12 Generation of XPL elements by external events.

2. XPL will include a standard architecture for XPL parsers,
   and for XPL operations, which may be ported to any reasonable
   processing system.

3. XPL will be reflexive, i.e. self-descriptive

4. XPL will be developed in the context of, and following the
   example of, open standards for XML document handling, as
   documented in W3C/XML standards literature. Whenever a
   requirement can be completely met by the use of documented
   W3C/XML mechanisms, that use will be preferred to any other
   which entails mechanisms external to W3C/XML.

5. XPL will be developed under a recognized open-source charter,
   permitting access of official XPL sources to any party.
   Confidential sources will not be recognized as part of XPL.

6. The XPL architecture (yet to be defined) will include both
   interface definitions and their implementations. It will
   require that interfaces and implementation be defined in
   distinct documents, such that interfaces may be published
   independently of any implementation.

7. The XPL architecture will include both formal distributed
   processes, and processors on which they are to execute.
   It will require that formal and actual processors be defined
   in distinct documents, such that formal distributed processes
   may be published independently of how they will be mapped
   onto networks.

8. XPL will include XML documents which subsume existing interface
   definition schemes (such as COM, CORBA).

9. XPL will be developed subject to the goal of providing a means
   of programming for Web content, which is as simple and
   accessible as possble.

10. XPL documentation and tutorial materials will take special
    consideration of the requirements of the handicapped, the
    young, and non-English speakers.


Goodwill
Jonathan

When you're a chocolate frog, the universe is against you.
--- End forwarded message ---