RE: config library, was GNOME registry

["Fox, Kevin M" <kmfox bhi010 bhi-erc com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Joshua R. Prismon [SMTP:josh@narf.com]
> Sent:	Thursday, December 31, 1998 12:41 PM
> To:	gnome-list@gnome.org
> Subject:	Re: config library, was GNOME registry
> 
> 
>  Actually, this is where XML would be very usefull. 
> 
> I think we are getting ahead of ourselves here. What
> are the requirements for what we want to do?
> 
> 1) Provide a generic/cheap interface to get/set configuration information.
> 
> 
> 2) Provide some mechanism where we can store config information in a 
> 	number of ways. 
> 
> 3) Provide some mechanism where a universal control application could be
> 	designed. 
> 
> 4) Provide someway to ensure that configuration information is not
> vunderable. 
> 
> So here is what I fleashed out beyond that:
> 
> 1) Provide a generic/cheap interface to get/set configuration information.
> 
> 
> Additional requirements:
> 	- Usable from any language (corba?)
	[Fox, Kevin M]  
	I think a library with corba wraper would safice
> 	- Linkable into a exec for non Gnome Applications?
	[Fox, Kevin M]  
	I think the library should be just a library, Gnome should have
nothing to do with it. There for, all programs will work with it. Gnome
could use it of corce.
> 	- Handle failures (LDAP database going down, for example)
> gracefully. 
	[Fox, Kevin M]  
	Maybe your later idea about cashing could help. Also the spacific
module should be able to detect this. EX. maby for LDAP, specify a backup
LDAP server as well.

> In my opinion, it would be easy to do this in a Unix Library/Corba
> Service.
> (speaking
> of which, while KDE and GNOME haven't gotten along very well, this would
> be
> a great
> place to try and unify the two teams. It would ensure that we don't spend
> massive amount
> of time rebuilding each others code. (ie, both control panels could
> configure anything). 
> 
> 2) Provide some mechanism where we can store config information in a 
> 	number of ways. 
> Adition Requirements: 
> 	- Some sort of caching method? 
	[Fox, Kevin M]  
	This would be nice.
> 	- Translators (ala what COAS and LinuxConf are doing). 
> 	- LDAP/Text/DB formats. 
	[Fox, Kevin M]  
	Devinitly

> 3) Provide some mechanism where a universal control application could be
> 	designed. 
> 	- This is where XML would be usefull. We could have applications
> give
> 	 us XML structures to desribe the data. using these XML structures,
> we
> 	 can create a universal control panel that would be capible of
> admining
> 	 anything, so long as it has a XML struct for it. 
> 
	[Fox, Kevin M]  
	How does LDAP handle this sort of thing. Maby it should be modled
after the LDAP schema.

> 4) Provide someway to ensure that configuration information is not
> vunderable. 
> 	- this would be why you would want to store info in a text file.
> Further, we
> 	 have to assume that there is some way (a text cache?) to boot up a
> system
> 	 even if some of the configuration services (LDAP or a corrupted DB)
> are
> down. 
	[Fox, Kevin M]  
	The cashing/module backups could solve this problem.


	Directorys like LDAP, NDS, and others all seem to verry similar.
maby the library should be a Directory abstractor, using modules to change
the type of Direcory used. With a text file Directory emulation module.

> -- 
>         FAQ: Frequently-Asked Questions at http://www.gnome.org/gnomefaq
>          To unsubscribe: mail gnome-list-request@gnome.org with 
>                        "unsubscribe" as the Subject.