Re: [Plastic-devs] Occasionally asked questions

[Alasdair A. <aa...@as...>]

Noel Winstanley wrote:
> I think this is a pretty good idea.

Me too...

>> Is PLASTIC Java only?
>>
>>     No! PLASTIC is designed to be language and platform neutral.
>> Applications that understand PLASTIC have been written in C++,
>> Python, Perl, Tcl and Ruby.
>
>
> you could add to this that no matter what language they're
> implemented in, they all work together. And that they've been
> demonstrated in public (adass) doing so. You could give a concrete
> example - visivo, Erik, topcat maybe. Isn't there even a flash movie
> of this somewhere?

There is Perl and Javascript code to talk to the Plastic Hub on the  
eSTAR website. I could try and get it into a slightly more compressed  
and oragnised fashion I suppose, but for now most of it is at; http:// 
www.estar.org.uk/wiki/index.php/Plastic

> I think you need to mention the other main transport protocol -
> XMLRPC - in the answer - and make it clear that RMI doesn't have any
> kind of 'special status'. In fact,  some applications written in java
> choose to use xmlrpc anyhow (topcat).

I think mentioning XML-RPC prominently will convince people that it's  
language neutral rather than Java specific.

> 'what's the relationship between PLASTIC and AstroRuntime' (copy from
> http://www2.astrogrid.org/desktop/astro-runtime/astroruntime-and-
> plastic if you find it agreeable).

Might be a reasonable idea to offer a Plastic Hub (just the Plastic  
Hub) on the SourceForge site (somewhere prominent, like the front  
page) and have the links to the full WorkBench elsewhere.

Having something like "Download a Plastic Hub HERE", rather than a  
complicated discussion about the AR, Workbench and how it all relates  
to Plastic, might be a more attractive option for new users...?

Al.